Numero10
02/28/10, 06:55 PM
You Me At Six - Hold Me Down
Record Label: Virgin (Europe)/Epitaph (US)
Release Date: 11th January (Europe)/16th March (US)
You Me At Six are known for a few things; to the people who love them they're the standout band of the newest and, let's be honest, most lackluster generation of pop punk yet, to those who hate them they're just another one of those lackluster bands. One thing that cannot be denied about You Me At Six is this; their songs are almost as catchy as herpes. I too, was once on the fence about You Me At Six, while looking for a different album and not finding it I settled and bought Take Off Your Colours, an album that quickly became ranked amongst my favourite albums. From my first listen of this new release and major label debut, one thing struck me, Hold Me Down makes Take Off Your Colours seem like a ridiculously sub par album.
I am writing this review from Ireland, so HMD has been out here since the start of the year and I've had time to sit with it and see if it still has the same effect it had the first time. I have found that the album grows stronger with every listen, from the ominous ambulance siren that kicks off the brilliant opener "The Consequence" to the last, shimmering note of the Paramore-ish closer "Fireworks".
After "The Consequence" comes the lead single "Underdog", one of the highlights of the album, the song showcases everything about the band, a huge chorus, snappy lyrics, quick verses and a bridge that brings Josh Francheschi's vocals into prominence. At a mere 2:23, it would be hard to make the song repetitive, which is a criticism often leveled at YMAS. "Playing the Blame Game" kicks off the middle of the album with a bouncy bass line and (surprise surprise) a huge chorus. On this song Franceschi's lyrics stand out the most to me when he pipes in on the second verse "At least you'll have nice thoughts of me when I'm cheating on you in your dreams, I told you before, my closet's clean and that these bones don't belong to me". Then comes the first ballad, "Stay With Me", followed by the mosh-worthy "Safer to Hate Her", the quiet verse, huge chorus "Take Your Breath Away" and the second ballad "Liquid Confidence", all of these tracks are great tracks but they don't stand out in the way track number eight, "Hard to Swallow" does, rumored to be the next single, it's not hard to see why. The chorus is, of course, massive, and it shows Josh singing in a higher voice than most of the album. The verses kick about like a riot waiting to fully explode.
Then comes "Contagious Chemistry", which in my opinion, has the second best set of lyrics on the disc. The third ballad is also the third highlight on the album, "There's No Such Thing As Accidental Infidelity" has such a Kids in Glass Houses-like chorus, you wonder if KIGH frontman Aled Phillips is going to start singing. Towards the end, Phillips does indeed start singing to cap off a wonderful song. Up next is "Trophy Eyes", which wins the trophy (see what I did there?) for catchiest chorus on the album. The album closes out with the aformentioned "Fireworks", which is like Paramore's "All I Wanted", only not as good and with a man singing.
Musically, guitarists Chris Miller and Max Heyler don't exactly shine but they do what is needed of them. Dan Flint provides a steady backbone for every song with his drumming. Francheschi's vocals have come on leaps and bounds. What surprised me most about this album is the bass playing of Matt Barnes. Being a bassist myself, I try to listen out for the bass on every song I listen to, Barnes never stood out on TOYC but on Hold Me Down, even when the bass isn't the focal part of the song, it is still the best musical part of the song.
With Hold Me Down, You Me At Six have shown their growth since Take Off Your Colours and that they still have plenty more growing to do. "It lacks originality", the haters will say and they may be right but when you execute as well as You Me At Six, sometimes originality isn't the key. This album proves that You Me At Six are only going to move up in the world.
Recommended If You Like:
Kids in Glass Houses, Paramore with a man singing, Good pop punk
www.myspace.com/youmeatsix (http://www.myspace.com/youmeatsix)
Record Label: Virgin (Europe)/Epitaph (US)
Release Date: 11th January (Europe)/16th March (US)
You Me At Six are known for a few things; to the people who love them they're the standout band of the newest and, let's be honest, most lackluster generation of pop punk yet, to those who hate them they're just another one of those lackluster bands. One thing that cannot be denied about You Me At Six is this; their songs are almost as catchy as herpes. I too, was once on the fence about You Me At Six, while looking for a different album and not finding it I settled and bought Take Off Your Colours, an album that quickly became ranked amongst my favourite albums. From my first listen of this new release and major label debut, one thing struck me, Hold Me Down makes Take Off Your Colours seem like a ridiculously sub par album.
I am writing this review from Ireland, so HMD has been out here since the start of the year and I've had time to sit with it and see if it still has the same effect it had the first time. I have found that the album grows stronger with every listen, from the ominous ambulance siren that kicks off the brilliant opener "The Consequence" to the last, shimmering note of the Paramore-ish closer "Fireworks".
After "The Consequence" comes the lead single "Underdog", one of the highlights of the album, the song showcases everything about the band, a huge chorus, snappy lyrics, quick verses and a bridge that brings Josh Francheschi's vocals into prominence. At a mere 2:23, it would be hard to make the song repetitive, which is a criticism often leveled at YMAS. "Playing the Blame Game" kicks off the middle of the album with a bouncy bass line and (surprise surprise) a huge chorus. On this song Franceschi's lyrics stand out the most to me when he pipes in on the second verse "At least you'll have nice thoughts of me when I'm cheating on you in your dreams, I told you before, my closet's clean and that these bones don't belong to me". Then comes the first ballad, "Stay With Me", followed by the mosh-worthy "Safer to Hate Her", the quiet verse, huge chorus "Take Your Breath Away" and the second ballad "Liquid Confidence", all of these tracks are great tracks but they don't stand out in the way track number eight, "Hard to Swallow" does, rumored to be the next single, it's not hard to see why. The chorus is, of course, massive, and it shows Josh singing in a higher voice than most of the album. The verses kick about like a riot waiting to fully explode.
Then comes "Contagious Chemistry", which in my opinion, has the second best set of lyrics on the disc. The third ballad is also the third highlight on the album, "There's No Such Thing As Accidental Infidelity" has such a Kids in Glass Houses-like chorus, you wonder if KIGH frontman Aled Phillips is going to start singing. Towards the end, Phillips does indeed start singing to cap off a wonderful song. Up next is "Trophy Eyes", which wins the trophy (see what I did there?) for catchiest chorus on the album. The album closes out with the aformentioned "Fireworks", which is like Paramore's "All I Wanted", only not as good and with a man singing.
Musically, guitarists Chris Miller and Max Heyler don't exactly shine but they do what is needed of them. Dan Flint provides a steady backbone for every song with his drumming. Francheschi's vocals have come on leaps and bounds. What surprised me most about this album is the bass playing of Matt Barnes. Being a bassist myself, I try to listen out for the bass on every song I listen to, Barnes never stood out on TOYC but on Hold Me Down, even when the bass isn't the focal part of the song, it is still the best musical part of the song.
With Hold Me Down, You Me At Six have shown their growth since Take Off Your Colours and that they still have plenty more growing to do. "It lacks originality", the haters will say and they may be right but when you execute as well as You Me At Six, sometimes originality isn't the key. This album proves that You Me At Six are only going to move up in the world.
Recommended If You Like:
Kids in Glass Houses, Paramore with a man singing, Good pop punk
www.myspace.com/youmeatsix (http://www.myspace.com/youmeatsix)