Music and Clubs
YUNGBLUD
EP Spotlight YUNGBLUD’s debut album 21st Century Liability was a heavily cynical piece of work – a brutal look at society and all its flaws. There’s nothing wrong with staring our problems in the face like that – in fact it’s necessary – but it’s an attitude that can be exhausting to maintain and can only be productive for so long. It might serve to wake people up, but it doesn’t well provide tools for change or keep people motivated. It’s hard not to be angry, but it’s even harder to be angry all the time. the underrated youth, therefore, comes as a refreshing change and proves YUNGBLUD’s impressive versatility. It starts out heavy, ‘braindead!’ is fit to burst with thrashing guitars, an intense, incessant beat, and his signature loud, borderline shouting vocals. But following track, ‘parents’, is entirely different. Providing a Twenty One Pilots-esque rock-rap and a perfectly melodic sing-a-long chorus, it is scathing in its takedown of older generations’ way of thinking but radio friendly, the contrast between sonic and lyrical tone making it feel like both an anthem and a battle cry.
‘original me’ features Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds who brings with him the slicker, shinier arena rock sound of his own band. It’s coupled with YUNGBLUD’s most vulnerable lyrics to date, a candid insight into days when he wakes up and “wish[es] [he] was anyone else” – a feeling that will resonate with all who listen. The EP’s stand-out track, though, comes in the form of ‘casual sabotage’, an angsty ode to being a “messed up kid” that will make for gorgeous, lighters/phones in the air sing-a-long moments at the singer’s upcoming shows. It’s an eclectic mix of sounds, punctuated by the album’s acoustic closer ‘waiting on the weekend’, but running through the EP is a new hint of optimism. It recognises where society is failing and honours the pains and difficulties of existing within it – but YUNGBLUD doesn’t let it overwhelm anymore. There is a sense that there is hope for the underrated youth, after all. Sophia Simon-Bashall
Album Spotlight Rex Orange County Pony “Though it’s still hard work to find the words, I’m still gonna write this fuckin’ song,” sings Rex Orange County on the first track on new album Pony. It may feel like it has been a while since the artist, real name Alex O’Connor, has released any new material. This he attests to an uninspired, dark year, but as he states, he pulls through and not only writes ‘10/10’, but crafts one of the most stunning albums of the year thus far. Two years on from Apricot Princess, Pony sees Rex lean into pop territory, but in a characteristically experimental way. Yes, those cheerful, pop elements are more potent, but they are blended with tinges of jazz, gliding from strings, to synth and back seamlessly. Where the jolting ‘Stressed Out’ borders on angst, ‘Never Had the Balls’ is upbeat, marking a change in the album. The first five songs are introspective, detailing darker times, but the rest of the album seems to show Rex rising from the ashes of the past year. His strongest songs centre around his girlfriend, Thea. Rex’s charm stems from his ability to convey uninhibited emotion flawlessly, and the way he writes about his girlfriend is enough to make you
melt. ‘Pluto Projector’ and ‘’Everyway’ make a stupefying duo, harbouring an abundance of heart wrenching odes to Thea, his “favourite ever season”. The soaring orchestral nature of ‘Pluto Projector’ is gorgeous: where Apricot Princess defined this relationship as a heady rush, there is something secure and unwavering presented on Pony. ‘Everyway’ is the most arresting moment – a piano driven thank you, it is so tender it almost feels intrusive, but its Randy Newman-esque sound makes it irresistible. ‘It’s Not the Same Anymore’, the final note on Pony, is stripped back and acoustic, emphasising the rawness of this collection of songs. It’s an admittance that not everything is good all the time, but that is okay – a heartfelt mantra permeating the album. “It’s not the same anymore, and it’s fine” appears to be the message that Rex wants his listeners to take from this album; things and people change, and that’s okay. Sometimes, you’ll get a really banging album out of it. Nieve McCarthy
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