Reviews

The Yours EP is, in sum, a compilation of themes of boredom, despondency and despair, much as the original MySpace content indicated.

It captures all the feelings, emotions and ideas that you've heard before from angst ridden bands from the earliest days of Punk via the Manic Street Preachers and Nirvana through to Emo.

Luke, Jake & Laura

Roots

Yours' origins are rooted in Grunge. While this remains something of a guiding light for the band, other influences such as blues, low-fi indie (think The Fall) and lighter shades of rock permeate through the songs to give the band a richer sound.

The song 'Yours', for example, features a glorious blues solo, the like of which was last heard on Pink Floyd's 'Money'.

In the lyrics, the band specialise in a kind of rage which, while sounding naïve or even trite at times ("Hey, 9/11 do you believe in heaven?/Do I look like I give a ****?" in 'Now You've Killed It'), nevertheless aptly summarises the fundamental anger and distress which many of us feel when witnessing injustice.

Kevin the Teenager may have claimed the phrase "It's so unfair" for teenagers everywhere, but that's not to say the rest of us don't feel the same thing from time to time.

Sex and Drugs and More of the Same

While 'Now You've Killed It' addresses the Big Issues: international terrorism, globalisation and the general erosion of hope and that is good with the world, the others songs on the EP take a look at misery and despair on the smaller scale: a more personal, intimate level.

'She's got no home' is a dirty, grimy tale of joyless sex and drug addiction.

'Paper Lady' continues along the line of passionless encounters ("If she's feeling kind of blue she'll turn on her red light") while 'Stoned' covers the subject of boredom inspired drug use ("There's nothing else to do").

Sounds Good

As with the taster songs found on the band's MySpace pages, the EP shows a band who have moved on from the one trick pony sounds of Grunge, to a fuller, richer sound which allows the lyrics and ideas more space to breathe.

It is a sound that is entirely of their own -which is what all bands strive for and not quite all achieve.

Although the sulky and slightly pretentious lyrics may grate occasionally, there remains something undeniably good and exciting about this band which can only continue and grow.

Further songs from this band will doubtless show the band continue on their rise towards greater things. 

This article is an external contribution and expresses a personal opinion, not necessarily the views of the BBC.

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If you're involved in the Gloucestershire music scene and you would like Stephen to review your music, please feel free to get in touch. Either email gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk or send your album and a bit about yourself to:

BBC Gloucestershire Introducing...
London Road
Gloucester
GL1 1SW

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