In what may be one of my most laziest but most accurate comparisons in a music review for a long time – ever wondered what would happen if Kate Bush’s vocals would end up in a heavy grungy rock duo? Welcome to Young Romance.
Their debut album “Another’s Blood” is for the most part a fast and furious power chord riff infected rock album. It’s ten tracks span just over half an hour and as each track rocks the roof in a late 80’s meets early 90’s raucous rock kind of way, there’s two things that make the album as a whole very, very cool.
Firstly, the tracks are all very catchy. From the single in waiting “Wasting Time” that chugs away merrily Blondie style to the darker and witchier “Disappear”, each track is tightly woven, missing any filler and packs an absolute punch. The drums are full on, the guitar riffs are chunky and there’s often a single note siren whaling away to add a more industrial and metallic sheen to each track. In general the album itself is rampaging towards its next explosion but the quieter tracks like “Cracks” hint at the duo’s ability to play with sound and space with lots of sound manipulation to give a dirty and seedy feel to things and “Room to Breathe” has a wild western side to it. “Cold” also is the odd track out as it ends the album with a piano and vocal track and is utterly unexpected.
The second reason the album is great is the vocalist. Whilst Paulo’s guitars are raw and gritty, Clare’s vocals are pristine and pure and even when she’s giving it plenty of welly, the way the album is produced means that she stays a layer above all the chaos that’s going on underneath her. It’s an inspired move and it lifts the album because the juxtaposition works perfectly.
For fans of rock, this is half an hour of pure hedonism. I’d happily pop it in my list of best albums in 2016 retrospectively and it’s a real grower upon each listen.
Recommended Track : “Disappear”