Album Review: You Me At Six - 'Cavalier Youth'

27 January 2014 | 1:43 am | Staff Writer
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You Me at Six's finest ofering yet

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You Me At Six have been turning heads for quite some time now. Arguably, they've even become something of an icon for the pop punk/rock scene of recent times. Following up from the huge success of 2011's 'Sinners Never Sleep,' the band's latest studio album 'Cavalier Youth' sees the outfit well and truly outdo themselves.

The first thing that you notice about the album is the production quality. It's miles away from any of the band's previous releases. Not to speak poorly of their previous releases, the statement rather speaks volumes about the sheer quality on display in terms of the overall sound quality. Producer Neal Avron has certainly left his mark on the release, having taken the sound that YMAS creates, and made it sound much more vibrant, and full of life.

The actual songwriting on the release is arguably the best that the group has ever done as well. Lead singles 'Lived A Lie' and 'Fresh Start Fever' give off polar opposite vibes, with the former having something of an optimistic feeling to it, whereas the latter has a much darker feeling to it, not dissimilar to some Fall Out Boy tracks, particularly in the 'Infinity on High' era. The darker side of YMAS also manages to work its way into other tracks on the record as well, most notably 'Room To Breathe' and 'Hope For The Best.'

YMAS expand their sound a bit on tracks like 'Forgive and Forget' with instrumentation that provides what the band describe as an 'eerie' soundscape, or 'Cold Night,' which is built around delayed/palm-muted guitar tones. Towards the end of the album, we also hear a track that almost seems to serve as an interlude to the rest of the album. Clocking in at under 2 minutes, 'Be Who You Are' is a short little love song, drenched in a sort of country/folk style that one would never associate with You Me At Six, and features some prominent musical ideas of those genres, such as the wire brushes used in the drumming, or the inclusion of a slide guitar.

'Cavalier Youth' is a fitting title for the album, since from the start to finish the record contains something of a carefree, youthful energy, which comes to a climax in 'Carpe Diem.' The track is, in one respect, the most energetic on the record. While it may not be the most fast-paced track on the record, it is full of a sort of bubbling energy that will have you singing and dancing along, and doing so shamelessly.

When you reach the point in your career that you can sell out Wembley Arena, you're going to have some pretty huge expectations placed on you, and such is the case for You Me At Six this time around. Fortunately for the boys, they've gone from strength to strength, and 'Cavalier Youth' is a showcase of that. At a point in their career where they need to make a big statement to stay relevant, You Me At Six have released what will likely be their career-defining album.

  1.  Too Young To Feel This Old
  2. Lived A Lie
  3. Fresh Start Fever
  4. Forgive And Forget
  5. Room To Breathe
  6. Win Some, Lose Some
  7. Cold Night
  8. Hope For The Best
  9. Love Me Like You Used To
  10. Be Who You Are
  11. Carpe Diem
  12. Wild Ones