Blue Youth - EP + 2 Songs

Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 18 Jun 2019

Tracklist:

1. Deaf Mode

2. Two Faces

3. The Power

4. The Screw

5. The Enemy

6. The Past

7. The End

I feel like I have to get back on it because things have been a bit hit an miss recently. Thanks for sticking with me!. I have a couple of new ZBR release reviews in the pipeline but I also want to keep the roster review series going, so tonight seems like the right time to leap back into it with the 2019 Blue Youth tape release. The release was made up of the Canadian post-hardcore/noise rock band's debut EP and two extra songs that were both only available digitally at the time, as a precursor to ZBR (and others) releasing their Dead Forever EP. 

The tape starts with the first of the two newer songs ‘Deaf Mode’, which is a great mix of jarring noise-rock and semi-mathy post-hardcore. Repeating riffs and crazy freak-outs are all present and correct, alongside plenty of nice melodic guitar work. The vocals are both crazed and clean, while the bass and percussion drive things on, contributing to a noisy finish.’Two Faces’ is somewhat sassier and noisier, with a greater sense of urgency and a whole heap of groove. It’s as if The Bronx, Snapcase and At The Drive-In decided to form a band together. Abrasive yet truly danceable too. 

The next five songs make up Blue Youth’s debut EP itself and ‘The Power’ shows a nod to Brit Pop and the Scandinavian miscreants The Hives. I know comparisons are subjective but the melodies on show here kind of give it away. Where was I when this EP came out!  There’s a snotty English punk vibe to ‘The Screw’, which makes complete sense given the song’s title. Another quick-fire noisy number that threatens to overspill. Instead though, Blue Youth know exactly when to inject it with hooks and melody.

‘The Enemy’ sounds like it could have easily inspired Turnstile to write Glow On, yet with a more caustic hardcore approach at times and less of the surf/dream pop of the aforementioned band. Blue Youth’s heavier side works so well up against their upbeat side. Penultimate song ‘The Past’ encompasses all of the influences/sounds I’ve mentioned above and shoehorns them into a song that hits pretty damn hard. I’m feeling pretty sleepy after a long day at work but Blue Youth are keeping me awake and alert thanks to final EP song ‘The End’. It’s a great way to end (sorry). The shift in sound between the five debut EP tracks and the latter two that open this release is at odds with many modern bands, as it shows Blue Youth heading in a heavier direction. That’s fine with me, though I can’t be sure there will be future music from them.

You can stream and purchase the release digitally below:-

Tape copies can still (amazingly) be purchased from the below link:-

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/blueyouth7songs

Blue Youth - https://www.facebook.com/blueyouthsk

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords