ALBUM REVIEW: Nothing Is The Same Anymore – Death Of Youth
It’s been a long time coming for hardcore meets emo outfit, DEATH OF YOUTH, who have finally put out their debut album, Nothing Is The Same Anymore. Formed back in 2018, it was only in 2024 that the London-based quartet made their live debut. Musically, the band brings in influences within genres like midwest emo, post hardcore, and screamo/scramz to perform songs that discuss topics both personal and broader with the world of politics.
Opening things up is track Desensitised that starts out with the sounds of the sea hitting the shore as instruments tune up in the background. A moody-esque guitar comes in, along with rough vocals that, despite the contrasting styles, work perfectly together thanks to the melodic emo sound that ties everything together. There’s something about it which, as the title suggests, leaves you feeling somewhat calm yet mostly numb. This is then contradicted when we move into Rumination where the composition is heavy inspired by a pop-punk meets emo sound, once again with rough vocals that feels disjointed, but it works. Despite the upbeat nature of the song, you do find yourself zoning out towards the end. A bit of a confusing set of circumstances.
Yet that remains the only major blip of the record as the remaining tracks will have a tight grip on you thanks to the ever-shifting musical inspiration and overall atmosphere. One moment you find yourself picturing incredible scenes at a live show through songs like Fix Your Heart Or Die, which feels easily placed within noughties rock with anthemic harmonies you can’t help but feel the need to shout back; and Performance Art, a loud, angry track that will surely get many mosh pits going as the audience screams back the lyrics. Then in the next moment you find yourself pumped and ready to start a rebellion thanks to tracks like Bystander, that brings in spoken word vocals that give commentary of the state of the world with a breakdown that has you sharing that same anger, and The Inverse Of Patriotism and Invertebrate, to be frank, are just pure loud catalysts of punk and hardcore that leave you with the confidence to face any and all opponents that cross your path.
There’s also the fun juxtaposition of combining gentler instrumentals with the heavier beats and vocals as heard on Castle Rock and the concluding title track itself. The latter of which being very clever with the layer of melodic compositions within the background whilst the gnarly breakdowns and rough vocals take the main spotlight.
A solid full-length introduction to DEATH OF YOUTH that will have you eager to hear more from this rising band. An eagerness we also share.
Rating: 7/10
Nothing Is The Same Anymore is out now via Engineer Records.
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