YOU ME AT SIX - ‘TRUTH DECAY’

Writer’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

You Me At Six are a staple of British emo rock; bursting onto the scene over a decade ago with their debut ‘Sinners Never Sleep’, they’ve since put out some of the catchier and more accessible emo music this side of 2010. On their newest record ‘Truth Decay’ the high points are some of the strongest material they’ve put out in years while the rest is just some straight-forward emo music.

The record starts very strong, with lead single ‘Deep Cuts’ hitting the listener with a flurry of heavy guitars and passionate vocals from frontman Josh Franceshi. It’s a modern emo anthem and I’ve loved it since hearing it all the way back in August. ‘Mixed Emotions’ comes next, another single and another solid track - even if I do get massive ‘Seventeen Going Under’ vibes from the intro. Lyrically it’s nothing unfamiliar with the band, with themes of struggling to convey how you are feeling; on initial release Josh claimed it was his favorite song the band had ever put out and it’s easy to see why.

‘God Bless The 90s’ Kids’ isn’t my favorite track here but I don’t think it’s as bad as social media would have you think. Not being a 90’s kid myself I don’t resonate with the ideas here but there’s gonna be a section of the bands fanbase that enjoy it. ‘After Love In The After Hours’ is another standard emo rock cut, but the killer instrumentation keeps it from falling flat - the guitars and drums on the chorus hit heavy with a catchy melody from the vocals.

‘No Future? Yeah Right’ features a guest performance by Enter:Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds, there’s a good chemistry between Josh and Rou but the Shikari influences come through too strong for my liking, with the synths taking over the natural production. Meanwhile ‘Heartless’ features one of the better hooks on the record, even if it is slightly corny - it’s got a charm to it however and I’ve enjoyed it since it was released as a single.

I’m not overly keen on ‘Breakdown’, constantly feeling like it’s building to something but never quite reaching it’s destination. ‘Traumatic Iconic’ might have my favorite hook on the record, it’s anthemic and I can imagine a crowd singing it back to the band at a festival. It’s one of the shorter tracks here and is instantly replayable. The final portion of the album starts with ‘A Smile To Make You Weak At The Knees’, another straight-forward emo cut with a strong chorus with calls of “It aint easy” before penultimate ‘Ultraviolence’ which has some of the weaker verses on the album but the chorus shines well.

The final track here ‘A Love Letter To Those Who Feel Lost’ has some really out of place trap-esque high hats but there’s a strong vocal chemistry between Josh and rising star Cody Frost who offer’s guest vocals here. It’s definitely a high point to end the album on.

I imagine long-time fans of the band will enjoy ‘Truth Decay’. It’s not inherintly awful and there’s some solid tracks scattered in the track list - and it’s doesn’t last overly long either. You Me At Six have mastered writing some solid catchy emo songs with heavy produciton and Josh’s vocals sounding better than ever.