Review: You Me At Six – Cavalier Youth

January 26, 2014 BearlySinister Off Rock,

Artist: You Me At Six
Album: Cavalier Youth
Rating: 10/10

They’re Surrey’s best-kept secret, a group of five guys who are the living embodiment of progression and perseverance. I’m speaking, of course, about You Me At Six. Since 2008, they have been climbing their way up the ladder to prove that they are one of the best alternative rock bands on the scene. Their debut album, “Take Off Your Colours” saw 7 singles, including “Gossip”, “Save It for the Bedroom” and “Kiss and Tell”. The album was generally well-accepted by critics the world-over, but they thirsted for more than that. They knew that they had what it took to raise the bar. Their 2nd album, “Hold Me Down”, was, unfortunately not the album that boosted those ratings, but they weren’t ready to hang their hats as of yet. It was their 2011 release, “Sinners Never Sleep” that broke them out, giving breath to a heavier, darker sound and spawning the hit single “Bite My Tongue” which featured Oli Sykes (Bring Me The Horizon). Yes sir, they had tasted the true recognition they deserved… but could they out do themselves once more? I’m proud to say that their upcoming release, “Cavalier Youth”, while nothing like “Sinners Never Sleep” certainly surpasses the aforementioned release on many levels. “Cavalier Youth” is all about enjoying your youth while you’ve got it, live it up and never regret a single moment.

The first single from the album, “Lived A Lie” is miles from anything they’ve done in the past, but it could serve as one of the biggest radio hits of this era, easily. Does this mean that YM@6 has sold out? No! The band adapted a more radio-friendly sound in an effort to try and reach a new crowd of listeners. After all, if you know this band, you know they don’t keep the same sound for too long, which is a wonderful thing! As I’ve said time and time again, no band wants to make the same album twice. Why is that, though? It’s because if a band were to create two albums that were incredibly similar to one another, without them tying into one another, the music would become stale and boring, quickly being turned off and dropping sales majorly. One of my favorite tracks on the album is the 2nd single, “Fresh Start Fever”, which is a track about reaching the top of your respected field, but wanting to go bigger and farther than you could imagine. We all reach for the stars, in hopes that someone will propel us to the point where we can have a launching pad for our respective careers, especially musicians. The ones who make it, though, either grow egos far too big for their bodies or, sadly, forget where they’re coming from. You Me At Six have created this track as a reminder that the life of fame and glamour is great, but it gets old very quickly. You don’t want to die lonely because you’ve been forced to abandon everything you love to pursue your career… never forget where you came from. Farther into the album, you have the track “Carpe Diem”, the famous latin saying which means “Seize the Day”. It means never live your life with regrets and truly capture every moment in the best way you can. Live your life to the fullest and don’t worry about what others think. This track will relate with many fans, myself included and may even become a favorite for some fans!

Overall: Remember, when you begin to listen to this album: Do not go in with the mentality that it will be anything like “Sinners Never Sleep” or any of their previous material, because you will be sadly disappointed. If you go in, knowing this band wanted a fresh start, you will be able to use your senses to capture this album the way it’s meant to be. A fresh new take for YM@6 in which they manage to, once again, create a sound that they can embrace and churn out to their loving fans. “Cavalier Youth” is one of the best albums I’ve heard in this genre so far this year. I believe you will agree, so go pick up your copy via Virgin Records on January 28th and celebrate a brand new world for these 5 incredible musicians!

“Lived A Lie”