You Me At Six 'Cavalier Youth' Album Review

British rock band You Me At Six first formed in their hometown of Surrey back in 2004. For four years, the band toured in small venues around the UK before finally hitting the big time and releasing their debut album 'Take Off Your Colours' in 2008 after being signed to Slam Dunk Records. From then on, the band have only gone from strength to strength and have accumulated an extremely loyal fan base in the process. Now, after winning Best Event at last years Kerrang! awards for their 'Final Night Of Sin' show at Wembley Arena (which celebrated the success their third studio album 'Sinners Never Sleep,) the band are back with the highly anticipated release of their new album 'Cavalier Youth.'

At first listen, Cavalier Youth is everything that you would expect from a You Me At Six album. However, the overall sound of the album is a lot more mature than the likes of 'Hold Me Down' and 'Sinners Never Sleep.' The album is filled with tracks that are bound to be sure fire hits including the ever-so-catchy 'Cold Night' and 'Carpe Diem,' which feature infectious choruses and middle eights that would make any fan chant along at the top of their lungs. Two of the heavier tracks on the album, 'Room To Breathe' and 'Love Me Like You Used To,' really showcase lead singer Josh Franceschi's infamous gravelly vocals which have dramatically improved over the course of the bands career. 

Another stand out record on the album is 'Be Who You Are,' which highlights the bands softer side. This particular song, albeit rather brief, has an incredibly romantic feel to it which is a refreshing change from an otherwise hard-hitting rock album. The bands current single 'Fresh Start Fever,' showcases drummer Dan Flint's talent tremendously as the strong beat definitely carries the song from start to finish. This track is a firm favourite amongst fans and has also made BBC Radio 1's 'A List,' which is, without a doubt, extremely well deserved. 



The conclusive track on the album, 'Wild Ones,' starts of very simplistic and focuses purely on Josh's vocals. This song is very comparable to the final songs on Hold Me Down and Sinners Never Sleep, 'Fireworks' and 'When We Were Younger,' which both start off slowly and gradually become faster paced as the track progresses. With one final crescendo, the bands powerful guitar riffs and melodies build the listener up once again to an almighty finish.

The full track listing for the album is as follows:

1. Too Young To Feel This Old
2. Lived A Lie
3. Fresh Start Fever
4. Forgive And Forget
5. Room To Breathe
6. Win Some, Lose Some
7. Cold Night
8. Hope For The Best
9. Love Me Like You Used To
10. Be Who You Are
11. Carpe Diem
12. Wild Ones

Overall, 'Cavalier Youth' is cohesively a brilliant album with twelve engaging and utterly unique tracks. It is clear to see that the Surrey quintet have matured and come on leaps and bounds in recent months. With plenty of tour dates both in the UK and Europe already lined up, 2014 is set to be a great year for one of Britain's best rock bands. You Me At Six are undoubtedly back with a bang!

Deaf Havana's 'Old Souls' Album Review

Deaf Havana first formed in their hometown of Hunstanton in 2005, however, over the past couple of years they have well and truly burst on to the ever so popular pop-rock scene and have gained an extremely loyal fan base in the process. With it being just under two years since the release of their much-loved album 'Fools And Worthless Liars,' which featured hits such as 'I'm A Bore, Mostly' and 'Leeches', there was a lot of anticipation surrounding their new album. Now, the band have finally released their long awaited album 'Old Souls' and it has certainly lived up to my, and hopefully everybody elses, expectations.

At first listen, it is clear that Deaf Havana have done a lot of growing up since writing their last album, as both the sound and lyrics of this album are seemingly much more mature than usual. The album kicks off with 'Boston Square,' which I believe is the perfect angst-ridden song with a incredibly catchy chorus, to transition seamlessly between their old and new album. 

In general, this album is filled with many ready-made hits such as 'Lights' and 'Speeding Cars,' however there are two much more subdued tracks that really jump out at me, the first one being 'Night Drives.' This song starts off very simplistic with minimal instruments, yet this builds gradually throughout the song, with the final chorus becoming a lot more like the Deaf Havana's punchy songs that we all know and love. 'Saved' is the second slower song on the album and it really tugs on your heart strings. After carefully listening to the lyrics, it is apparent that this song is all about the struggle of growing up in a small town like Hunstanton and how unstable it can be. The final song that caught my attention, which is also coincidentally the last song on the album, is 'Caro Padre.' This number has a few subtle gospel-like qualities to it, including an atmospheric middle-eight complete with a choir and some heavy drumming, which makes this song a direction that Deaf Havana have never previously explored, as well as it being a great conclusive song for the album.

Here is the full track-listing for the album:

1. Boston Square
2. Lights
3. Everybody's Dancing And I Want To Die
4. Subterranean Bullshit Blues
5. Night Drives
6. 22
7. Speeding Cars
8. Saved
9. Mildred (Lost A Friend)
10. Tuesday People
11. Kings Road Ghosts
12. Caro Padre

Overall, Deaf Havana's sound has really matured and come into its own, and 'Old Souls' is a great showcase of this. I would really recommend listening to or purchasing this album as every song featured is, in my opinion, a sure fire hit. I would love to know your thoughts on the album and what your personal favourites are, so please do not hesitate to leave a comment below letting me know what you think. Thank you!