EP REVIEW: is this what i look like? – Yours Truly
Self care is important. At least, that was the message from Australian pop-punk four-piece YOURS TRULY on their debut, aptly titled Self Care. While it featured heart-on-sleeve lyrics, it wasn’t meant to be a stand-alone; the band were planning a short companion piece to it, titled Self Sabotage as an examination of another side of mental health. That was before the rug was pulled from under their feet and they were suddenly left with nothing other than their own four walls as Australia imposed lockdowns.
The end result of that was a band unsure of itself; without being able to tour, connect to fans and give Self Care the love it deserved. How then, to channel their anxiety and uncertainty they were feeling after the world took an unexpected turn? The solution was simple – write. What was originally intended to be a short companion piece took on a life of its own, becoming their new EP, is this what i look like?. Vocalist Mikaila Delgado found herself isolated, alone and wondering not just who she wanted to be, but who she was without the band that had been her entire adult life.
That search for an identity is writ large across is this what i look like?’s seven songs, with new sounds not so much creeping in as pulling songs in entirely new directions. It’s something of a sonic scattering across the EP, going in as many directions as possible in search of their own sonic identity after the far more straightforward pop-punk of Self Care. Lead single Walk Over My Grave leans into new directions immediately with its alt-rock swagger, and its final chorus features a quasi-breakdown.
From here though, YOURS TRULY scatter in even more directions. Bruises has a guest spot from STRAY FROM THE PATH’s Drew York in his guise away from the activist hardcore band, instead leaning into a far more melodic direction. The title track itself is instead an interlude that acts as an extended intro to Hallucinate that features none other than YOU ME AT SIX’s Josh Franceschi. It’s a bold decision but one that allows breathing space in an otherwise fast-paced EP that rarely takes its foot off the gas. Penultimate song If You’re Drowning (I’ll Learn How To Hold My Breath) is fearlessly poppy in its stomping chorus, while closer Lights On leans into electropop as Delagado asks “is this what I look like with the lights on?”.
Despite the scattergun sonic approach, is this what i look like? is still undeniably the work of YOURS TRULY. That uncertainty over their own identities without the band is writ large across the EP as it explores identity, anxiety and self-image in vivid fashion. While the lyrics are more like storytelling than diary entries, they’re no less incisive and reflect the darkness and mental anguish of the last few years.
Not just that, it’s also a band that opted for the less safe leap forwards than the slow evolution they’d initially planned for, incorporating their own tastes and listening habits without being derivative, continuing to put their own spin on pop-punk and alt rock. YOURS TRULY are a special band, that combination of incisive honesty and relatability packed with huge hooks and a constant desire to push themselves ensuring that this EP sticks the landing with every new twist and turn.
Rating: 8/10
is this what i look like? is set for release on July 15th via UNFD.
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