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The Emo movement of the early nineties spurred a number of bands that you either loved or hated to jam to, like The Get Up Kids, or Sunny Day Real Estate. You Blew It! offers their own take on Emo, but does this revival band from Orlando, consisting of three“cat-loving, taco-eating dudes” give a nice new take on a past genre, or are they digging up a sound that should remain buried by a decade? The answer lies largely in if you enjoyed the waves of Emo sound the first time they came around, as Keep Doing What You’re Doing riffs off this.
If you weren’t already acquainted with this band from their debut release, Grow Up, Dude, don’t worry, as the instant you press play on opener “Match and Tinder,” you get a sense of what this band is all about. Shredding guitar is soon doubled up on itself with heavily cymbal-laden percussion joining the mix for a hot minute until Tanner Jones’ intentionally strained screaming vocals burst in, kicking the door down. It’s a lot for a first track, and may scare some off, but for those who stick around, this trio has some softer numbers, and some equally as jarring tunes remaining on the album.
One song that strikes a happy medium between these two alternatives is “Strong Island,” which is third up to bat. The hyper-active percussion and hard guitar riffs are still there, but Jones isn’t quite straining his voice so much, though it still retains its strength and guttural power. The affect that these softer vocals have on the sound is that the lyrics are suddenly accessible, and herein lies the other half of this bands revival of Emo—the deeply self reflective writing. The choral tag of this third track bleeds out: “I’m still finding pieces of me that I could live without.” Such emotional and sometimes self-deprecating lyrics are commonplace for You Blew It!
This thirty-four minute brief album serves as a nice little slice of violence. What I mean when I say that, is that the rough edges and thrashing guitar juxtapose with the emotional lyrics to provide a fresh, crisp taste on a genre that flourished not so long ago.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve admired the work of Liars. Their records never once sound the same, yet they always have some linear links to previous works. On their latest they continue to explore some of the more electronically influenced moments of their catalog, but it’s the hook during the chorus that really grabbed me. It’s built as a danceable moment that could really unite those in attendance at a show, though I’d be remiss if I didn’t wish they threw it down just a bit harder…perhaps that’s awaiting in the live set. You can grab their new record, Mess, on March 25th, then plan on including it in some year-end lists. They’ll also be appearing at Austin’s Psych Fest.
