With a name like Youth Funeral, you’re probably not expecting the most cheerful music to emanate from your speaker system, and you wouldn’t wrong with that assumption. Combining post-hardcore and screamo, this New-Hampshire four piece have crafted a sound bursting in youthful energy, careering its way violently from beginning to end.
Coming in at 6 tracks and 11 minutes long, the record is virtually over as soon as you’ve hit the play button. See You When I See You (Twelve Gauge Records) is a short snap of angst. Far from being underdeveloped though, the short timing works in the EP’s favour. The songs are chaotic, lacking the usual clear progression, but the short lengths leave no time for the listener to tire of what they are hearing, keeping the songs consistently fresh and constantly angry.
It’s not all a bludgeoning assault either. ‘Confidante’s’ extended timing allows it to twist into atmospheric sections while ‘I Remember’ strips back into basic riffing. This doesn’t last long though as ‘When it Pours’ and ‘The Weak and the Ward’ roll out jumping riffs that virtually falls over themselves; combined with their almost dissonant chord progressions they easily stand out as the strongest tracks on the EP.
While See You When I See You won’t find itself spinning on my CD player often, that isn’t saying there isn’t merit to the music. The style is chaotic and stumbling but isn’t clumsy. The band walk a delicate balance between structure and absolute chaos, and pull it off with an ease that keeps each switching section sitting easily in one song. This is a band I’m sure we’ll be seeing on the scene for a long time to come.
6.5/10
CAITLIN SMITH