Years- All We Have Is Now (July 2011)

    Years, formed in Manchester boast influences from Rock and Pop Punk heavyweights such as Jimmy Eat World, You Me At Six and Paramore, and have played shows with the likes of Save Your Breath and Man Overboard. The EP, ‘All We Have Is Now’ was recorded in July this year in Stockport and the band claim they are all ‘very proud’ of the final outcome.

           Their influences are more than clear from the get go with first track ‘Here’s To You’. Although they are musically capable they fail to stand out from other emerging pop punk bands. Although vocals are strong they have yet to define themselves as a band collectively, and overall, their sound is very similar to We Are The Ocean. It also appears that the band are used to playing live shows and their songwriting is formed around crowd pleasing aspects for future performances but are currently characterless as a band.

     The introductory melodic elements of title track ‘All We Have Is Now’ are beautiful if a little repetitive, particularly because vocals do not kick in until almost a minute into the track. Again, influences are incredibly clear once again, specifically in relation to the Paramore track ‘When It Rains’(Riot, 2007). Additionally such a gentle backbone of melodic work does not bode well with such a deep, and frankly hit and miss and emotionless vocal. Yet it is clear that the band have put a great deal of time and effort into this track in particular as it is the best produced. It also depicts the vocalist’s skill better than the remainder of the EP put together.

Years' artwork: 'All We Have Is Now'

     ‘Runaway’ begins with heavy inspirations from You Me At Six, and their track ‘Stay With Me’(Hold Me Down, 2010) in particular. Although Years’ vocalist is alike to We Are The Ocean’s, Years’ sound fails to be as epic or interesting. The vocalist may also have a groundbreaking vocal range, but it is never utilised, which makes each track appear very monotone and rather generic.

      Years have done well with regards to track positions, with a good mixture of ballad based songs and their more upbeat work. However, ‘Hide And Seek’ is limp and may not highlight the band’s abilities or potential. ‘Waiting’ is a nice attempt at a big ballad finale but even with gang vocals, it fails to excite and is, in fact, monotonous.

      Overall, Years are in desperate need of discovering their identity and not relaying on their influences from such world renowned bands. Also, being more specific and personal when it comes to songwriting may help spark emotion for the listener because, ‘Call me whenever you need me...’ are dry and dreary and very conventional, but for all the wrong reasons.


2/5

You Me At Six– Lover Boy (25/09/2011 Virgin Records)

 You Me At Six, a pop punk band from Weybridge, Surrey are set to release their third album on 3^rd October this year. The first single from which, ‘Lover Boy’ will be released 8 days prior and an official music video is expected over the next couple of weeks.

     ‘Lover Boy’ is fans’ first taste of what is to come from up-and-coming ‘Sinners Never Sleep’, and if it is anything to go by they will not be disappointed! Firing up with somewhat bland gang vocals, the track takes off when the thumping blues bass line begins. Despite it being simplistic, it sets the stage perfectly for a gritty and intense first verse. Written by the band themselves, this track is personal and bitter without being over the top. It defines some progression from the band’s previous compilation ‘Hold Me Down’ without varying their sound completely, which can be difficult to achieve.

'Lover Boy': Artwork

    The verses of ‘Lover Boy’ illustrate frontman Josh Franceshi’s astounding vocal abilities, proving the possibility of being an earth-shattering singer without being technically flawless. Serious You Me At Six fans will spot Franceshi’s live techniques shining through within the chorus, such as a trace of his Weybridge accent, ‘Don’t you feel bad, don’t you feel bad?’, as well as an insinuation of the original, post-hardcore You Me At Six, ‘of course I would...’.

     Overall, the likeability of this debut single from ‘Sinners Never Sleep’ is unquestionable and the temper filled edge of it lacks sentiment, which is something that adds to a worthy catchy song, ‘this is the night you’ll regret in the morning...’. If nothing else, the band prove opportunity for more artists and bands to write and release memorable material that is not pop based. You Me At Six have done well with regards to writing a relatable track for their fans, without being whiney, soppy, heartless and without screeching about sex, drugs and booze every other lyric.

You Me At Six

     With the gritty and grainy guitar solo and gang vocals, the track is also gig-perfect, particularly for an opener. Additionally, the boys have managed to avoid default pop mode like other bands of a similar genre and have successfully charted their progress as musicians, and undoubtedly people from previous work, despite ‘Lover Boy’ being described as the most similar to the sound of ‘Hold Me Down’.

4/5

Listen to the track here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1slKomFgYBI

You Me At Six - Hold Me Down (11/01/2010 Virgin Records)

    

     You Me At Six, a five-piece pop-punk band from Weybridge, England, manage to exceed expectations through this second studio album ‘Hold Me Down.’ Although some have labelled their debut ‘Take off Your Colours’ as simply another demo, I personally found it incredible. There has been a slight change in the band’s overall sound for this album, owing to their extreme success over the past few years.  Countless sell-out shows, matched with thousands of loyal fans have created a more mature, skilful band. This collection of twelve tracks truly reflects the band’s growth and adaptation, both as individual musicians and collectively.

 

     This is You Me At Six’s first major label debut, and expectations were high, yet as the band have progressed into more mainstream,  melodic musicians, their general success has been flourishing indefinitely. No doubt, supporting the likes of Fall Out Boy and Paramore on tour has assisted them in clambering further up the often generic pop-punk ladder.

    Polished, well-produced and punchy, ‘Hold Me Down’, begins with surround-sound police sirens and develops into a full- blown reverberation, immediately portraying that You Me At Six have discovered more of an individual sound.   ‘Underdog’, which was independently released as a single in February this year, bestows an apathetic judgement on a non-specified negative occurrence ‘...just look at the mess you made...’ , which allows listeners to affix the sentiment of the song to their personal familiarities . Despite the constant inclusion of idioms, for instance, ‘revenge loves company, three makes it a crowd...’ the song remains both catchy and engaging. Although, as typical of all pop-punk bands, the overriding topic of lyrics appears to be failing relationships, in which girls are either wholly impossibly unattainable, untrustworthy, or malicious creatures, denoted by lyrics such as ‘...Safer to hate her/than love her and lose her...’, extracted from fifth track ‘Safer To Hate Her.’ This is, no doubt, influenced by their own experiences.

        You Me At Six cannot be criticised for being generic, because although very American-influenced, the boys provide character to each track, which is encouraged by the album being entirely written by the band members themselves.  It is fair to say, this second album is somewhat darker, mainly in lyrical approach, than their previous work, but this makes certain that ‘Hold Me Down’ is set apart from You Me At Six’s debut ‘Take Off Your Colours’. Lead vocalist Josh Franceschi is a brilliant lyricist; his rare ability of expressing his emotions in an honest, witty and occasionally tongue-in-cheek form.  Jaunty tracks such as ‘Contagious Chemistry’ and ‘There’s No Such Thing...’ evoke typical teenage reactions to disloyalty ‘dearest enemy...’ whereas  penultimate track ‘Trophy Eyes’ intensifies the album’s personal quality, sparking many a music fan into realising people experience similar struggles to one another ‘...Shine so bright, behind those lies...’ Something this album incorporates in abundance
is the unbeatable element of honesty found in You Me At Six's lyrics. 

          Bulky riffs and chanty choruses make up the majority of the CD, which is deliberately blended in with more gentle, melodramatic ballads such as track 4, ‘Stay With Me’ and the final track ‘Fireworks’, which both brings a breathtaking components to the album. ‘Fireworks’ conveys emotional and sincere lyrics broadcast beautifully by the awesome vocal capabilities of the band’s frontman, twenty year old Franceschi. The track also provides a soft and steady finale, including lyrics with which any living teenager can utterly associate with, ‘’Cause I don’t know who I am...’ , terminating  an often stunningly-deafening sequence of tracks.

     Overall, the album appears carefully constructed, yet harsh criticisms constantly remain likely. As more alternative and indie music reaches the peaks of pop charts, there is, therefore, an improved likelihood of a band like You Me At Six gaining the success they deserve for their solid graft. Yet to become both accepted and unique, remains a continual challenge that so far, the band have administered admirably.

5/5