Pop-punk is a heavily saturated genre at the best of times, but Light You Up have been working hard to make themselves heard above the masses. Not only have they shared stages with the likes of The Wonder Years, State Champs, and A Loss For Words (whose singer Matty Arsenault guests on the album) but they have also enlisted Romesh Dodengoda, responsible for some of the best known British releases of recent years, to mix this, their début album.
Such an impressive set of circumstances does put pressure on the band to deliver, and in spite of the catchy melody and strong chorus, album opener ‘Breathe’ leaves you with the feeling that Light You Up are playing it safe. Thankfully, the title track ‘All We’ve Ever Known’ blows any lingering doubts about their potential out of the water, as everything falls into place from the first note. The melody is sharp, the vocals full of confidence and the chorus is huge. If any song from the album is going to push them to the front of the scene, it will be this one.
‘Good Days’ maintains that sense of momentum, as Light You Up start to experiment a bit more with song structure during the verses, before producing another memorable chorus. Having Alan Day from Four Year Strong lend his vocals to ‘Always Wanting More’ should be yet another indication of the album’s quality, and although there are hints of Four Year Strong in the structure, the guest vocals themselves are a wasted opportunity and aren’t particularly noticeable.
Unfortunately, the same goes for ‘Foxfire’ which features Matty Arsenault of A Loss For Words. It’s one of the better songs on the album, and has a great guitar line running through it, but it lacks the impact that Light You Up probably intended. Thankfully the delivery of the lyrics throughout the rest of the album is excellent, being clean and bright but full of genuine emotion and passion. They stand out particularly well on the acoustic ‘You Are Waiting For A Train’ alongside swells of orchestral strings.
Throughout ‘All We’ve Ever Known’ the strength of the vocals makes up for the somewhat flat lyrics. As accessible and relatable as they may be, they are perhaps the weakest part of Light You Up’s game. More expressive lyrics would carry the album through its less memorable moments but that is something that Light You Up are sure to improve upon with future releases.
The execution may not always match the ambition but despite these issues, Light You Up should be applauded for the self-belief and confidence that flows through ‘All We’ve Ever Known’. They’ve got an undeniable talent for melody and song writing and if, in the future, they can produce a whole album as consistently strong as the title track then are sure to continue their rise to the top.
CHRIS HILSON