In spite of various shortcomings, Versus You have a trait that almost single-handedly saves their fourth album, ‘Moving On’. Simply, the Luxembourg quartet are incredibly likeable. There is an innocent exuberance to their derivative pop-punk and a tangible enthusiasm for what they do that shines throughout. Whether sheer likeability is enough is debatable, but at the very least it tends to gloss over most cracks. Furthermore, there are also moments across ‘Moving On’ that are enjoyable in their own right.
‘When It All Goes Down’ is perhaps the best example of what Versus You are trying to achieve but often miss: summery pop-punk with sweet melodies, catchy choruses and an undeniable sense of fun. ‘Still I Persist’ meanwhile deviates slightly from the album’s happy-go-lucky mould. Beginning with a swaggering octave-chord riff the urgency created is never dissipated on the album’s most frenetic track. There are also many fun moments that come across as unintentional homage to modern punk legends. The line “I miss you more than severed limbs” will satisfy Alkaline Trio fans’ bloodlust and leave Matt Skiba scratching his head over why he never thought of it. Similarly, the chord progression and guitar solo at the climax of ‘On The Town’ would make NOFX’s Eric Melvin proud.
Of course, when such comparisons can be made, so can the accusation of the album being horribly derivative. To add weight to this argument, Versus You typically sound like Nick Johnson of Banner Pilot fronting a infantile, lightweight Lawrence Arms or Screeching Weasel. This is not a bad thing, necessarily, but with little deviation from this narrow template monotony quickly sets in. ‘Moving On’ can be frustratingly one-dimensional: besides a few perfunctory guitar leads, there are very few embellishments added to the formula of saccharine power chords, root notes and mid-tempo-to-fast drum patterns.
But by far, the weakest aspect of ‘Moving On’ is its lyrics. Apart from the gory, aforementioned line, the lyrics here are handled with a childlike simplicity. The cyclical repetition of “I guess I said this before/ But I can’t take it no more/ It’s something I can’t ignore/ It’s what I’m doing this for” on ‘One That Can See’ is somewhat nauseating. Meanwhile the too-simple-to-be-true friendship detailed on closer ‘You Are My Friend’ – “I call to find out what you are up to/ Say I’d like to spend some time with you” – is cringingly vapid. The innocence and simple-minded good nature that pervades the album is pleasant – perhaps admirably so for some – but is far from gripping or inspiring.
Versus You deal in a good-natured, rudimental form of pop-punk on ‘Moving On’. This uncomplicated, direct approach can work in their favour. Tracks like ‘Stay Down, Stay Strong’ and ‘Skinny and Distracted’, for example, are both well-written pop songs and are good fun. However, this crude template can also be limiting. Their niceness can be a weakness as well: the album feels lightweight and lacking or, worse yet, boring. On ‘Kitchen-Sink Drama’ they proffer that “it’s enough to be in love with this”. Certainly, at times their clean-cut passion is sufficiently endearing, but more often than not ‘Moving On’ just feels overly safe.
RICHARD CRAIG