The Album

Album cover designed by Adele Fairchild.

Released on June 6, 2020, Harry Potter & The Dangers Of Being A Hero by Small Folk is a seven song album that details what it is like to be a hero in the wizarding world. Before reviewing this album I had never heard any of Small Folk’s songs. This, my dear readers, was a mistake. I don’t know how I lived my life before hearing their music. If you haven’t heard it either, let’s waste no more time!

The Tracks

First up is Quidditch (That Devil Of A Song). Immediately I notice the awesome harmonies and incredible quality of the guitar. The song made me sway along the whole time, and I knew I was in for a magical time with the rest of the album.

History Is Defined By The Victors is a saying that I love hearing in music – plus I think that the idea in general is true. The vocal performance in this song blew me away. It reminded me of early 2000s punk/rock musicians. The passion and energy is at a high level and I really enjoyed the emotion behind it.

The music slows down and introduces a melancholy piano for Always. Snape reflects on his choices and regrets in this heart wrenching tune. The harmonies fit perfectly into the vibe of the song. Again the singer pours so much emotion into the performance; it is really stirring.

Another song from Snape’s perspective, Snape Hearts Lily starts off with harmonica before adding the guitar part. I absolutely loved the chord progression in this song, and the amount of vocals added in made it feel like a pub song, which works weirdly well.

You know I love some ukulele, and that’s exactly what we get in Dobbey. This is a super cute song about how just a little kindness can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Dobby sings to Harry and tells him how much he meant to the little elf.

If I Owned A Bakery is a sad, sweet song that I assume is about Jacob from the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It’s a gorgeous song that really makes you think about how it must feel to have seen and been a part of so many magical things, only to have your memories of them almost completely erased.

The final track of this album is entitled Everyone I Love Dies. It is as slow as a funeral dirge, which is appropriate. This song is sad. Like, really sad. So. Be prepared for that. It pulled at my heartstrings and was the perfect mix of solemn and stress.

In Summary

I cannot believe I had never listened to Small Folk before writing this review. Their quality of musicality, instrumentation, and production absolutely blew me away. I was very impressed. I loved the different characters that they chose to represent a hero from the wizarding world, and the diversity of happy to sad musical styles. The lyrics are incredible, and I greatly enjoyed listening to every single song.