You Me at Six was always one of my favorite bands… Until they released Night People.
I’ve tried listening to the album more times than I’d like to admit and I just get bored listening to it. Each song sounds like the last. The album opens with its title track and lead single, which initially drew me in with its eerie intro and hard-rock heavy drum beat and guitar work. Then lead vocalist Josh Franceschi’s vocals come in sounding almost whispery, almost sexy. “Plus One” and “Heavy Soul” provide nothing new for me coming from “Night People.” It’s hard for me to even tell these first three songs apart. “Heavy Soul,” however, starts slowing the album, easing listeners into the ballad “Take on the World.” With lyrics such as “Nobody knows you the way that I know you” and “Just say the word, we’ll take on the world,” the ballad feels cliche and more like a filler track. The following track “Brand New,” however, might just be the best song on the album. Its lighter with a fun, lighthearted quality to it, making it a good summer song. “Swear” opens with a rhythm that sounds a bit too much like the intro to the band’s “Jaws on the Floor” off their third album, Sinners Never Sleep, for me to fully enjoy the song. Otherwise, the song introduces the band’s classic “harder” rock vibe and it works well, ignoring the feeling of listening to “Jaws on the Floor pt. 2.” “Spell It Out” is definitely the better album ballad, with haunting piano, creeping guitar, edgy drums, and passionate vocals to match. At just under four and a half minutes, though, “Spell It Out” was a bit dragged out.
Overall: With just a one or two standout tracks, Night People is a sleeper of an album. Night People is what sinners would listen to if they did sleep.
4/10
Review by Shane Haley
Crown Times Music 