Surrey band You Me At Six have come a long way from their 2008 debut album Take Off Your Colours which established them as the new pop-punkers on the scene. While this album was all about partying, girls and their teenage years, with their second album, Hold Me Down being another slice from this, only having more experience. Now on their third album, Sinners Never Sleep is lust, love and anger. Altogether a stronger, angrier album, this time, wanting to show they are simply just a rock band. This is the end result of the band almost breaking up and constant fights between the members - a grown up album, writing about more important events in life, even though they are barely out of their teens. Leaving mysterious countdown timers and pictures on their website near the news of the album in August, this led to it becoming one of the most anticipated albums of the last few months.
Here's my track-by-track review of their latest offering.
The album opens with the previously released single that everybody knows and loves, Loverboy. It is catchy, full of strong riffs, and of course a chorus full of 'da-da-da's'. Stand out track of the album. Next track is Jaws On The Floor, which shows much change in the lyrics, over the style of song this time around. Lyrics like ‘life’s a bitch but I’m friends with her sister' put with powerful emotion show the change in the band. Bite My Tongue featuring Oli Sykes from Bring Me The Horizon shows an angrier side to the band, and is an all-round thrilling number that gives us an insight to the band from singer Josh
Franceschi's viewpoint on the members' hatred of each other. From there on, it ranges into slower songs, something that comes effortlessly to You Me At Six, with This is The First Thing, and No One Does It Better taking a few listens to get into, but then are as addictive as the rest. Little Death has the most catchy, sing along chorus on the album, while Crash is the big ballad, showing the band do acoustic settings perfectly. It is perhaps not as good as earlier efforts (such as Always Attract), yet Franceschi's vocal are as smooth and perfect as ever. The album gets better with another stand out track, Reckless, a bouncy, catchy number with lyrics such as "I'm Mister Reckless with a capital R". This song reminds us of their pop-punk roots, as does Time Is Money, featuring Winston McCall of Parkway drive, showing the band have not forgot where they started. The Dilemma is a simply fantastic song, and a welcome change from older songs. When We Were Younger closes the album, and on a beautiful note too. A 6 minute long song, and keeping with the overall album, it is completely heartfelt and honest from the band.
While the album is so much more grown up, it is still recognisable as the You Me At Six we all know, with fuller vocals, the way guitars and bass work against each other, and the heavy drums. A must have for fans, and will have at least one song that you'll tap your foot to. Hopefully it will be a grower, and it could easily be their best material to date. 7/10
