Take Off Your Colours,
You Me At 6
I found it quite ironic that a band which built their early fanbase around myspace and people swapping their demo in MP3 form around the internet are forced to release promos of their debut album with a watermark because it's so highly anticipated it will almost certainly leak and cost band/label/management some cash. I totally understand why, don't get me wrong, just found it quite amusing in an Alanis Morrisette 'ironic' kinda way. Little things clearly please small minds and all that.
Anyway, it seems as though YMA6 have dined off that one demo and a clutch of re-worked singles for years and years and it's amazing to think they're set to headline the Astoria with their debut album only just due out. Like it or not it's a credit to the band and those behind them for doing it the hard way. Sure - they have a manager and an agent, but they've grafted, played the toilets and worked their way up. There's not a band out there that polarises opinion like YMA6 do, they're the marmite band of the UK scene. You like them or you hate them, no-one seems to just tolerate them. And I guess that's a good thing - no-one wants to be in a band no-one cares about, right?
So are the haters justified in their hatred, or is it just a case of envy at a group of teenagers living the dream? 'Take Off Your Colours' will do well. Fact. Will it take them to Enter Shikari levels of success? Probably not. But it is a decent stab at a very saturated genre of music. It doesn't re-invent the wheel and I can't say I enjoyed every song. But there are, shock horror, a couple of very catchy songs here. 'Gossip' and 'Save It For The Bedroom' WILL have you singing along, like it or not. And 'The Rumour' is one of the best pop-punk songs written by any UK band of this type for a long, long time. It's infectious. You will sing along. Seriously.
There's plenty of filler in between - some of these songs are very basic, some lack the bite and choruses of others. The Americanised vocals begin to grate over long listens. But you cannot deny the fact that when the band hit the spot, they really hit the spot. In a genre where slick production and catchy choruses is key, YMA6 have a handful of killer tunes. If you go to a rock club they'll already play YMA6 songs - and if they don't now, they will soon. YMA6 are kids singing about issues that kids can relate to - there's nothing wrong with that.
If I wanted cool points I'd slag the shit out of this record. But I can't. It's not a serious pop-punk album, it's the soundtrack to a teenager's underage booze-fueled party and if you keep that in mind it's difficult to pick holes in it. If there was a UK version of The OC expect most of these songs to be the soundtrack. The haters will hate, the lovers will love - the critics should give praise where it's due 'cos this ain't half bad.
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