Having achieved fame in their home country down under, Sheppard, the Australian family/band branched out to the American music market with the US release of their single, “Geronimo.”

According to the charts, the release proved successful. Geronimo held the number one spot on the ARIA Singles Chart for three consecutive weeks after the Australian release this time last year. With Scooter Brian’s management of their North American career, “Geronimo” remains a hit on American pop radio stations since its US release in August 2014.

Though definitely not Grammy worthy, “Geronimo” stands sufficiently entertaining. Combining alternative folk elements with pop, Sheppard adds merit to the genre. As similar sounding bands such as the Walk the Moon and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes embody the sound more maturely, Sheppard clearly still has some growing up to do. A more original sound for the band would work wonders for the uncertain span of their victory streak.

The lyrics in “Geronimo” prove mediocre. They have moments of depth, but the repetitiveness takes away from the lyrical development. Nonetheless, the repetitive nature gives the song catchiness. But the song is almost too much of a catch. It walks a fine line between hooky and gimmicky. Singing “Say Geronimo” 31 times makes “Geronimo” difficult to forget, which is advantageous in the sense that it encourages listeners to remember Sheppard.

However, this dubious method is annoyingly obvious. Lyrics such as “Well I’m just a boy/With a broken toy/All lost and coy/ At the curtains of the waterfall/So it’s here I stand/As a broken man/But I’ve found my friend/At the curtains of the waterfall”  showcase Sheppard’s songwriting capabilities but remain upsized by the repetition.

One cannot ride cliches to the top of the industry, especially not as a new band. As a band starting from scratch—without any features or help from established artists, lyrical talent remains undeniably vital. The goal is to make people want to listen; harassing people with one lyric depicts weakness, and there is no room for weakness so early in their career. Sheppard’s music is marginally good, while their lyrics prove merely okay. Despite promise, Sheppard is doomed to a short-lived, 15-minute career if they do not get their act together.

The Chant’s Grade: C-