ALBUM REVIEW: Young Culture – Young Culture

If the sheer size of song THE 1975 are capable of writing attracts you to them but the pretention they exude puts you off then fear not; we understand. It’s easy to understand why bands like that reach the heights of success they do, and why bands such as BUSTED have erupted into the stratosphere in the past. The weightless feeling to their songs that made sure their choruses truly soared high made them easy to like, and when bands are able to tap into that same vein, it becomes quite exciting. Enter YOUNG CULTURE, a band seemingly made up of equal parts sugary sweet boy group and the modern thump of 21st century production.

When Better off As Friends hits its stride it emulates just as much the aforementioned as it does modern headbangers like LOWER THAN ATLANTIS which really helps this self-titled debut to make an impact throughout its run time. From the rather gentle opening of Bloodthin things are set off to a positive and easy start. The following acoustic bop of Anywhere You Go keeps the pace going and there is little to really complain about throughout most of YOUNG CULTURE’s debut. 

There is clear development from their previous EPs, and the time spent working to hone their sound has paid off and can be heard in the confidence with which all of these songs are delivered with. Songs as sugary as Hailey Beverly 2016 wouldn’t land nearly as well as it does if the band weren’t giving a real bit of welly behind their performances and also their song writing. There are ample moments throughout the album where YOUNG CULTURE put their foot down on the pedal and provide the listener with some stand out moments to take away from their playthrough. 

However, even with all this positivity, it can be easy to overlook the issues that lie within the record. Holiday In Vegas feels like a shallow offering and Compass finds itself in the envious position between a great opener and an anthemic acoustic bop. For every time a bit of momentum builds, the band drops it through a lacking song or an overly dramatic vocal performance that takes away from the personal nature of a lot of the songs featured. As well as this, some of the lyrics don’t hit home or land as well as they could do, and with them making such a prominent place in the mix thanks to the bold vocals it’s a shame they aren’t able to truly shine as they should do. 

For a band really starting to come into their own, YOUNG CULTURE are showing signs of a truly, truly bright future. The ease with which the imagination jumps towards images of screaming arenas when listening to most of this self-titled debut is exciting, and the fact a lot of the songs throughout this album are as big as they are, YOUNG CULTURE quickly become an even more exciting act. Taking the negatives with the positives, this is an amazing start for a band that will keep on going from strength to strength on a trajectory that really could see them explode internationally. 

Rating: 7/10

Young Culture is out now via Rude Records. 

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