Labels: Deranged
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Seems like a bit of a while since the previous Young Offenders release, the split with Giant Haystacks. Having been particularly smitten with pretty much everything they had done up to that point, the split kind of passed me by, it just didn’t have the supreme hooks and song writing of previous releases. However, always happy to give a quality band another chance, I was eager to check out this latest offering, where Young Offenders have the entire 12 inches to themselves. So how is it? Young Offenders, you have let me down. THIS IS TOO FUCKING SHORT! On here, they belt out 8 songs of deleriously great music, I couldn’t have scripted it better. Well, I could, I would have made it 4 tracks longer. Instead, on this infuriatingly teasing slab of vinyl we get YO blending their post punk and their other various influences to insanely great effect. Each song is neurotically nervous, engagingly energetic and perfectly poppy. A real clash of styles that shows their song writing smarts have been well and truly honed. There are tracks on here that have elevated them alongside Eddy Current Suppression Ring as the band I most want to see live right now. I can’t imagine how much fun they would truly be at a gig.
Really, I am not the best person to review this. I can vaguely waft my hands around to distract you from my inability to name the requisite obscure influences, and instead just say it sounds like hodge podge of Wire, Mission of Burma, Big Boys and the Wedding Present. That’s not going to be of much use to you, unless you take the fact that all those bands are awesome and therefore Young Offenders are masking some dashed fine music too. One of the best releases of 2010, just wish it wasn’t so fleeting.