Album Review: You Me At Six - Night People
By Marvin Dotiyal, Contributor
[Infectious; 2017]
Rating: 4/10
Key Tracks: “Plus One,” “Give,” “Spell It Out”
You Me At Six’s Night People is not what you'd expect if you religiously chanted the chorus to “Save It For the Bedroom” back in 2008. Even if you only saw them because they frequently toured with All Time Low, you still had a blast singing that song. Hailing from the UK, You Me At Six is best known as a pop-punk/pop rock band during their career; however, in Night Drive, the band attempts to write an alternative-rock album, experimenting with different styles of the genre.
The album starts with their title track, “Night People”, which kicks off with a Jack White-esque guitar riff and a simple, steady drum beat. The riff may be initially catchy , but for the most part, it is repetitive and straight up boring. The entirety of the song is very bland; just listen to the first 30 seconds of the song, and there you have it.
“Plus One,” on the other hand, is a solid song with better instrumentation and variation. This track is reminiscent of their upbeat sound of their 2011 album, Sinners Never Sleep. There are other energetic rock ’n’ roll inspired songs such as “Swear,” but “Plus One” is arguably the best rock track in the album for having a generous balance between their previous sound and a bit of experimentation.
What stands out the most in You Me At Six is Josh Franceschi’s vocals. In mellower songs like “Give” and “Spell It Out”, Franceschi’s takes the spotlight. His heartfelt voice, now a little rugged and lower, delivers a lot of emotion, and sometimes even outshines the rest of the band.
Night People is not a bad album by any means, it is simply an amateur take on alternative rock music. Although the songs on the album can be described as “mediocre bangers” or “decent fillers”, each song on the album is distinct for incorporating the nuts and bolts of various genres. Loyal You Me At Six fans will eventually grow on to this record, and it might attract new listeners, but certainly not any All Time Low fangirls/boys this time.
