You Me At Six Gets Darker On New Album "Night People"

It's not often you see a band become heavier nowadays. It's usually the heavier bands becoming more approachable and poppier, but in the case of You Me At Six, they've dropped some of their lighter influences and brought out the riffs. Their new album Night People is darker and heavier than their efforts in the past, and it definitely shows.

The album is immediately brought in by the huge riff of 'Night People.' The song has a very big drive backing it with a badass rock n' roll vibe to go with it. There's a swagger that goes with this song that really gives it that touch. 'Plus One' follows up with a more alternative vibe, but still sounds huge. The choruses soar with thick guitars and a vigorous delivery from Josh Franceschi. Rock n' roll vibes are what carry 'Swear,' it's drive very energetic and its instrumental punchy. The melodies sway above the thick background sweetly and unabashedly.

From the summer vibes of their 2014 record Cavalier Youth to now, there's a clear difference in mood. That's not without a remaining influence, though. Despite the darker mood of Night People, there's still a trace of what the band's sound used to be lingering on the record. There are several songs that have that same feel-good vibe that the band has been known for in the past, such as 'Heavy Soul.' The sweet choruses move sweetly, Franceschi warmly singing "I'll look at you / Not a single word comes to mind / I'll think of you / Maybe in another life." 'Brand New' is similar, the bright guitars following the mysterious instrumental. The song progressively builds up with a more prevalent alternative rock vibe, but the core of the track is very sweet. 'Take On The World' has a sweet and quiet start, a distant guitar lightly playing as Franceschi sings gently. The song eventually builds, sounding huge and emotional in the end with pounding percussion and big backing vocals to back it.

There really isn't much fault in this record. Some songs don't quite have the same impact as others, but overall this album is very well put together. From the crashing guitars and intro of 'Make Your Move' and the jazzy delivery of 'Night People,' there isn't much to complain about. The only moment which could have used a little more is the closing track 'Give.'  It's a sweet track that builds like 'Take On The World' does, but for an ending song, it doesn't quite reach the pinnacle it should. It's neither a modest ending or a huge climax; rather, it's a song that does a moderate job at what it attempts. It also just ends abruptly, without much to say for it. It doesn't feel like a suitable ending for such a rocking record.

Night People really owned the sound that You Me At Six wanted to go for. It's refreshing to see a band want to change their sound to something more dark and heavy rather than becoming more safe. They took a huge risk with this record, but it paid off from every end.

Favorite Tracks: Take On The World, Can't Hold Back, Make Your Move

Least Favorite Track: Give

Rating: 90 / 100

Buy or listen to Night People from Amazon: