UK melodic hardcore quintet Blood Youth formed in the wake of Climates’ disintegration and have created an EP of catchy tunes not too dissimilar to Stick To Your Guns but with more sugar-kissed choruses. The artwork for the EP is wonderfully textured, a flame ridden ensemble of what looks like a snake, a crow, a bear and an ape, perhaps a nod to the EP title ‘Inside My Head’, a war of different thoughts and ideas perhaps?
Opening track ‘Piece by piece’ has everything you want from an act like this, cloud high melodies, chunkier than the chunkiest peanut butter style grooves and throaty rasps from frontman Kaya Tarsus, who seemingly talks the talk. ‘Cold sweat’ launches off like a juggernaut, Tarsus counting in ‘one, two, one, two, three, four’, a savage entourage before an inevitably dainty, gentler vocal overlay showcasing Tarsus’ vocal dexterity. Melodic hardcore is making a resurgence, captivating those that demand aggression but also appealing to those who appreciate the more softer end of the alternative spectrum. It is this blend of European style melody mixed with the bitey, American style hardcore sound that is uniquely identifying a shift towards this type of hardcore today.
‘Failure’ starts with some familiar rhetoric of the unfair balance of life ‘I am nothing to no one; I’ve been running for one day too long’. There is some guitar similar to AFI’s Jade Puget and some warm pinched harmonics that provide a welcome break from the chug, synonymous with the genre. The vocals of Tarsus sound very similar to Stick To Your Guns’ Jesse Barnett, strong, punchy and evidently with something to get off his chest. Again, the melodic parts are going to rouse the souls of those so inclined, but it could be argued there is an overuse of this juxtaposed heavy-soft-heavy-soft song structure. Melody cynics might ask what is wrong with just ripping someone’s balls off for three and a half minutes.
The guitars in ‘Dead space’ are quite punky in style, but vocally it offers much more aggression, and has by far the best melodic round on show within this EP, the drums and bass leading naturally and vibrantly to a meaty finale, then again to be counter-balanced by the elegance of Tarsus’ incredibly astute singing voice. The song has some typical hardcore-esque vocab, including ‘fuck’ and ‘move’, both introducing the impact point of the song and will surely be a hit at their live shows, with pit hobbits appreciating the invitation to let it all hang out.
Blood Youth have created a beautiful EP, both visually and aurally. ‘Inside My Head’ has everything that melodic hardcore intends to be, rip roaring screamo stalactites hanging from a ceiling of crescendo infused melodies. What Blood Youth offer is their version of the wheel, it is not reinventing the scene, but it is sure to invoke a stir amongst those that choose to listen, and it might not be long before Blood Youth are inside your head too.