Blood Youth are taking no prisoners with their follow up EP to last year’s ‘Inside My Head’. ‘Closure’ is the end product of a frantic 10 months which has seen the band rise from nowhere, produce two EPs, take Download Festival by storm, as well as winning over hordes of new fans at Hevy and through high profile support slots.
It is refreshing when a band attempt to mix it up on an EP. Opening track ‘Breathe’ is a stripped back affair, a crescendo of atmospheric reverb layered over some poignant lyrics, summed up by relationships and a lack of communication; “Can you warn me, next time you’re fading out, I can’t stand to see us breaking down.”
With the eardrums purring, the ferocity of the drop in ‘24/7’ takes you by surprise and enhances their credentials as a promising UK hardcore outfit. There is a sniff, before ‘24/7’ is shouted at you, the style not unlike Stray From The Path. The verse is knocked out of the park, the vocals punchy and raw. Just as you expect the melody to launch in there is a continuation of the exciting pace, again showing that this band are not predictable; a rare skill in this genre. The natural curve of the song presents several breakdowns and would surely be a no-brainer for live success.
‘Mood Swings’ launches in with a more punk guitar part, and similarities to the previous EP are evident throughout. The chorus is joyfully uplifting and one for fans of much poppier offerings, Tarsus purring “trying to keep myself from losing my breathe, I have more faith in strangers,” before the grizzly guitar will have them running for their mummies. It’s not for everyone and indeed fans of traditional hardcore may resent the softer parts, but this is one for fans of sweaty sing-a-longs and that euphoric juxtaposition offered by modern day alternatively melodic hardcore. Change can be wonderful, especially when the metamorphosis so perfectly blends what is good about two previously distinct genres.
The production and quality of the final track ‘Closure’ is nothing short of brilliant. It is by far the stand out track, and excellently rounds off a stellar release that leaves you clamouring for more. It sitsbetween more melodic and alternative hardcore, but thankfully the rhetoric is firmly placed like hardcore should be, of struggle and hardship and everyday problems.
DAVE BULL