Review Summary: Youth In Revolt recreates Post-Hardcore as they use soft melodies as a weapon to stand out amongst the rest.
What a wonderful feeling it is when you discover an unexpected surprise in a great way! That is the exact feeling that rushed through me when I explored 'Love Is A Liar's Game' the debut album of a very young Post-Hardcore act 'Youth In Revolt.' If you don't know anything about this band's reputation then you are very lucky, I somehow stumbled across this band a few years ago and laughed in fashioned as they tried to squeeze their way into the lowest and darkest depths of the Post-Hardcore/Electronicore food chain. This band was simply terrible. I unfortunately came across their debut single/music video once and after that moment I completely dismissed this band and made a commitment to overlook any of their future endeavors. Check the video out yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWPx_fachKg
Absolutely dreadful right? This band was obviously a joke or just a sad attempt to get little bit of attention but unfortunately bands like this really do exist and we just have to accept and live with it. Many years later, Facebook 'suggested' me a video of their smashing lead single (It's a lead single because they made a super rad 'lyric video' for it, duh) 'There For You' and I actually listened to it just get a laugh or two out of it but what I discovered was the exact opposite of my intentions. I thoroughly enjoyed the track, now I'm a fan of Post-Hardcore, Scene, Pop (whatever you wanna call it!) but I'm not a fan of how the genre is drastically falling apart with repetition and generic composition. I realized this band was trying to stand out from the rest and didn't want to be labeled another Asking Alexandria rip-off (as bad as THAT sounds.) This wasn't a trashy, 6-8 member, lacking heart, scene-cored, con artist trying to make crappy music. So I buckled up, and gave their new E.P a listen. Here's how it went.
Let's start off with 'There For You' the opening track of the album and the song that drew me into the band. The first thing that sucked me into the song was the clean vocals. The lead singer sure has some amazing pipes. The begininning of the song kicks off in great fashion, with some screams and heads right into the very catchy Pop-Oriented chorus. Everything is going great with the chorus bumping and clean vocals just flat out killing it but I'm still skeptical because I know this song is gonna bust out into an ugly Techno sequence and then probably follow with an uglier chugga chugga breakdown. So I crossed my fingers and at the end of the track there was none to be found! There are precisely two verses of screams and breakdowns but it only last for about 15 seconds and it's back to the lovely melodies this band brings to the table. Yes, this was probably the ONLY reason I checked out the rest of the album. The song is good. It's soft, it's sweet. It has a beautiful ratio of Pop and Metalcore (about 70% pop and 30% Metalcore) and I knew if the rest of the album kept the same formula as this track, I would be sold.
I was delighted to find out that the next track was even lighter than the first track. The seftitled song 'Love Is a Liar's Game' brings out all the potential this band has to offer. It starts off with a smooth sing-along intro and then drops like you're gliding on a cloud right into the most enjoyable chorus on the album or in any Post-Hardcore/Metalcore song you have ever listened to. This song really feels like a montage that combines the best elements of Sleeping With Sirens in one track. The chorus is so pleasant it's unreal. This song will even bring out the best of emotions, I personally think it's the best track on the album. The 5 track E.P is setup very nicely. The first two tracks are their softer songs and the next two displays more of a heavier side, and then it ends with a great acoustic display. The next two tracks are pretty much a fast paced and slightly heavier version of what they have already demonstrated. Some of the heavier parts might make you cringe but it doesn't bother me since I'm a fan of the genre. The acoustic track also plays a huge role in the success of this album. It shows off most of the band's maturity and talent with very soothing song structure and quality. I can guarantee that you won't be disatisifed with the vocals. The clean vocals are absolutlely breathtaking and the screams are great too. You will hear very high pitched screams which fits so well with their style of music. I feel like this album is the pinnacle for the Post-Hardcore scene. They are like milk and sugar and you pour it into the coffee of metalcore and it infuses and creates something sweet; that is what exactly this album is. Also, Kudos to the band members for keeping their strong infuences for Asking Alexandria, Abandon All Ships, and Attack Attack! off of the album.
