Singer/songwriter James Bay’s debut album Chaos And The Calm proves to be an awesome arrangement of songs, but overall lacks originality.

The England native’s album contains an equal mix of upbeat pop songs with folk influences and acoustic, slower-paced songs. The combination of quiet feelings and cheery vibes from the songs makes the album perfect for the transition from winter to spring, as winter feels like the slow songs, and the excitement that spring brings is represented in the upbeat songs.

These emotions, combined with Bay’s vocals, which are comparable to those of Hozier or Vance Joy, make for a relaxing collection of songs.

However, the album has an acoustic sound to almost every track that makes it sound exactly the same. Individually, each song can be great. But the combination of twelve songs that sound extremely similar makes for a repetitive and monotonous album.

Most of the tracks sound like the basic indie-folk-guitar combo you can hear at your local coffee shop, making it an easily replaceable album.

But there are still a few tracks that stand out from the rest. “When We Were On Fire”, “Get Out While You Can” and “Collide” have toe-tapping beats that can make any mood change for the better in an instant. Those looking for more laid-back songs can find relief in “Let it Go” and “Incomplete.”

Overall, this album provides a great accompaniment to the approaching of springtime, but in the long run will probably get lost in the pit of similar-sounding acoustic music as it ages.