ALBUM REVIEW: Truth Decay – You Me At Six
There’s something about pop rock which tickles the sweet spot in our brains. Catchy choruses with a bubbly instrumental and the odd “woah” vocal hook. While the particular genre may come under fire for a lack of originality, that doesn’t stop bands within the category from continuing to make music. Nor should it as YOU ME AT SIX prove with recent album Truth Decay.
Released on the eve of their headlining show at Alexandra Palace, Truth Decay comes with 13 tracks of somewhat unadulterated bops. The operative word there being somewhat. The British quintet are still on their evolutionary journey while wanting to retain that aura of being the underdog within the alternative scene. Does the follow up to 2021’s Suckapunch achieve that? Yes and no.
With a combination of sampling from Dan Flint (drums) and Chris Miller’s familiar guitar riff, DEEP CUTS gets things off to a promising start. YOU ME AT SIX have a large following for a reason; the track has a chorus which could be stuck in your head for days. Whatever there is to be said for Josh Franceschi’s (vocals) songwriting skills, the man knows how to write an earworm or two. Yet it has to be said lyrics such as “it’s half past lonely” do come across as cringeworthy at times – we’ll return to that subject in a moment. As a juicy bassline from Matt Barnes infiltrates the second half of the track, the instrumentals swell into what possibly could have been a drop for the last chorus, but the band choose to showcase Miller’s soloing skills instead which leads to a chorus which doesn’t pack the punch it needs to.
Meanwhile Mixed Emotions (I Didn’t Know How To Tell You What I Was Feeling) may come with a mouthful of a title but the early slower track shows that notion of growth for YOU ME AT SIX. Franceschi’s distinct vocals ring clear as a bell in this deceptively jovial sounding song. The maturity in his vocal is joyous to hear despite his talking about history repeating itself in the midst of a spell of poor mental health. The song does fall short as it doesn’t gain texture until the latter half of the track though we’re glad to hear sonic landscapes being experimented with.
Recent single God Bless The 90s Kids came out to an interesting reaction as Franceschi came under fire for that awkward chorus. That was for good reason as the clunky and at times immature approach to the lyrics is a thread throughout Truth Decay. Marrying words together for the sake of a rhyming scheme isn’t always the best approach when it comes to writing as it comes across as jumbled and meanings can be lost in translation. With this in mind, the murky nod to alternative music which reigned supreme in the 90s is great instrumentally. Max Helyer’s shimmering guitar hook between the chorus and second verse is a wonderful touch. In a track which follows the likes of SIMPLE PLAN, it becomes frustrating to hear the lyrics let it down in places.
We’re not about to drag the lyrics for the rest of the review. Not only would it be pedantic but it would also be unfair to the band’s effort. Though with that being said, tracks like After Love In The After Hours, Who Needs Revenge When I’ve Got Ellen Rae, and Traumatic Iconic feel a lot like filler material. They each come with their good parts. After Love In The After Hours was clearly written for the live arena with its quick pace and vocal hooks which would go over very well; Who Needs Revenge When I’ve Got Ellen Rae has the potential to be a heavy hitter with its darker guitars and the fuel for vengeance but never seems to hit its mark; and Traumatic Iconic simply falls into the trap of being a forgettable track which just exists.
Truth Decay is not all idling however. No Future? Yeah Right is a highlight of the record and not purely because of ENTER SHIKARI’s Rou Reynolds’ guest spot. The intro sampling comes with a wonderful yet quiet riff beneath the surface. As the instrumental kicks in fully we’re treated to a modern version of a track which could have come from Take Off Your Colours (2008). The combination of energies between Franceschi and Reynolds in this retaliation to an abusive relationship is executed almost flawlessly. The bridge is particularly interesting as it features a swell into what is a much harsher sound for YOU ME AT SIX, ENTER SHIKARI’s influence ringing loud and true. Straight into another influence, heartLess is reminiscent of modern BRING ME THE HORIZON. As sampling and electronics take the lead in this dance of being stuck in a bad situation, the evolution on display is nice to hear. Lead and backing vocals melt together almost perfectly with the latter taking a lower register which buzzes in the eardrum.
Another talking point comes with the tandem of Breakdown and :mydopamine: – a couple of darker yet understated tracks. Breakdown’s repetition of mental decline becomes strangely comforting as YOU ME AT SIX revisit a familiar theme. The thread of poor mental health and “throw a peace sign on my way out” continues to run throughout the band’s catalogue and it’s not something we are about to complain about. While it may sound like the brood’s version of a rap song, there is something quite cathartic within the dense beat. The only quibble we have lies within Franceschi as we would have liked to hear the song delivered a touch more aggressively. :mydopamine: mirrors Breakdown in wanting to be that support system for a soul in need. There’s a wonderfully morose bounce to Barnes’ bassline while Miller’s low solo adds a wonderful atmosphere to the latter half of the track.
Truth Decay feels as though it runs out of steam once more with A Smile To Make You Weak(er) At The Knees’ pop-punk-goes-80s vibe and zero impact as a song. Ultraviolence tries to pick up the pace again with its contrasting alternative notes but fails to do so, although it does blend in to perhaps one of YOU ME AT SIX’s best album closers. Featuring Cody Frost, A Love Letter To Those Who Feel Lost is delightfully desolate. As the track winds on, we can hear Franceschi’s songwriting has actually come a long way, but this album simply didn’t showcase that on the whole. His and Frost’s vocals balance each other out nicely as the full instrumental seeps in like the light at the end of the tunnel. So much so that the song passes by with us fully immersed. Frustratingly though, it comes a little too late.
To encapsulate Truth Decay, this album could have been a lot more solid had YOU ME AT SIX trimmed a lot more fat than they have. There are strong efforts from the fivesome but they simply aren’t strong enough to counter the shortfalls. Is it a disappointing listen? Frankly, yes. While there are tracks which will be added to playlists, it’s hard to imagine returning to this album quickly.
Rating: 5/10
Truth Decay is out now via Underdog Records/AWAL Recordings.
Like YOU ME AT SIX on Facebook.