ALBUM REVIEW: You Had To Be There – Young Culture

Coming off the immense high of their debut EP Godspeed, YOUNG CULTURE are back just a year later ready to really show what they can do with their full-length album You Had To Be There. This trio have grown as a band and the main theme of this album is matters of the heart as it illustrates first love, breakups and plutonic love like making memories with friends. The album kicks off with Not In Love and the signature pop-punk sounds are undeniable from the start. With the punchy guitar riffs and the anthemic chorus this one gets under the skin and it says that even though you may not be in love, we all need someone every now and then just to have a good time with. It sounds really optimistic and sets the tone for the record to follow.

Kinda Over It illustrates a chaotic relationship and is about being led on. It’s full of angst in keeping with the pop-punk attitude. The instrumentation is pretty standard with guitars and drums but they sound awesome as they can be roaring at one point and then altogether quiet whilst the vocals become more reflective and softer. This then follows onto Tattoo which is a catchy number full of emotion. Alex Magnan (vocals) sings about a relationship gone wrong and saying that the hurt is still there like a tattoo. The guitar line is chugging and rhythmic and pairs with the driving percussion that just makes these guys sounds like an old-school pop-punk band but with a more modern day flare.

We’re On Fire is a little softer and lighter on the instrumentation as the distortion is used more sparingly and the drums aren’t as in your face. It sounds more like a poppy summer banger than a pop-punk track but it just shows how YOUNG CULTURE aren’t just another three-note power chord band but actually versatile musicians. The blistering guitar solo really is something special on this track; whilst not being overly complex, it fits perfectly here.

Silver Linings sounds a little 80s-inspired – a bit reminiscent of something like SIMPLE MINDS but mixed with a more modern twist. It’s about falling out with friends and how usually there’s no silver lining. This track really soars pretty much the whole way through. It has more of dancey feel to it than the previous songs and it’s certainly a change of pace from the next track Whiskey, which whilst still in keeping the signature sound is a little slower and more retrospective. The verses seem gentler with less instrumentation and the choruses come in hard and punchier. It has college radio-rock vibe to it as do most of the rest of the album’s songs and it’s a little nostalgic feeling.

Good Karma is possibly the band at their best on this album. It’s fast and honest track and a little inspirational about chasing good karma – i.e. going out and getting good things for yourself with selfless acts. This one is perhaps the most ‘pop-punk’ feeling on the entire album. It feels as if YOUNG CULTURE really want to define themselves and their sound on this track and they more than succeed in doing so.

Serendipity closes the album and leaves on a high. It’s got that same college-rock feel to it. It’s really catchy with stabbing rhythms and it feels really chilled out. It’s reminiscent of STATE CHAMPS however YOUNG CULTURE have made it their own with the way they constructed the track and how they’ve given it a feel-good vibe even though the song is about heartbreak as it’s about moving on as well.

YOUNG CULTURE have really poured their hearts into this album and bore their scars and it really can be heard in You Had To Be There. But instead of whining about it like in a lot of pop songs, they decided to write something catchy and something that rocks. They’re not all sorry for themselves, the message is that heartbreak sucks but that doesn’t mean good music can’t come from it.

Rating: 7/10

You Had To Be There is set for release on November 11th via Rude Records/Equal Vision Records.

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