Youth Crew Blues - not quite Latin For Truth's Chinese Democracy, though a record which cleared a remarkable amount of hurdles to reach your ears. Simply put, this record is a collection of self-realising songs which deal with one's own idealism and other everyday struggles, backed by solid Posi Melodic Hardcore.
This is a review my metaphorical pen has been itching to write for far too long. After months of spinning the album on repeat, the rest basically writes itself. I've seen this band swim upstream through the shit-filled river that has been their past few years; from being juggled between labels, to line-up changes, to the passing of a close friend. I'm not asking you to feel sympathy nor sorrow for the band, but rather empathy. I feel it's important to understand exactly how these songs came to be. I'd rather this review to be seen as well-informed, over biased.
Inevitably, I feel that the band's first full-length, Eleven Eleven, is to Latin For Truth what an album like Mutiny! was to Set Your Goals. Though Eleven Eleven was a more traditional mixture of the Pop Punk/Hardcore styles, the band owes a large portion of their success to the release. The problem here is that it did a little too well for some listeners to accept anything which goes beyond this approach. The way I see it, this type of mindset enables listeners to form prejudice judgement void of almost any substance. Setting artists these kinds of expectations only limits what they'll feel free to deliver, but Latin For Truth will never write the same record twice, which is one of many reasons why I feel the band stands proud in an under-populated league. Point being, like any lifeform, bands evolve and shouldn't be condemned for doing so; Youth Crew Blues should be appreciated for its own merits. The record may have you asking yourself if this is actually Latin For Truth. For the sake of providing a sense of familiarity, perhaps the album could be compared with the band's 2009 The '95 Sound 7" EP. Lead vocal duties have been handed back to Charles, after ex-vocalist Michael left the band late last year. Sonically, the album offers an unequalled blend of '90s-era Punk and Melodic Hardcore characteristics, which make bands such as Paint It Black, 7 Seconds, or A Wilhelm Scream come to mind. However, making this mere comparison doesn't do the album much justice, because it sets limits, something Youth Crew Blues has little of.
Pall Malls is one of the tracks on the album which truly stands out. The song itself is a tribute to a lost, but not forgotten, friend. Jake was a drummer, which explains the superb drumming on the track, the kind which would be under-appreciated in a small venue. Dieu Est Mort Pour Moi [God Is Dead To Me], the religiously-toned track makes excellent use of the guitar work to consistently ascend its energy into a mellow yet abrasive state. The title track is quite easily the strongest of the lot, ignited by the spoken word introduction, paving the way for the album's anthem. The song has it all, built on a steady-paced body, it dishes out guitar and bass solos, gritty gang vocals, and a chorus as catchy as they get. If you listen closely, you might even catch Veara's Bradley Wyrosdick. The vocal outro says tell me why I worry everyone's out to shit on me, when I just want a healthy relationship with one human being - a line which truly strikes gold in my mind, though I only hope it doesn't translate into a pessimistic interpretation.
Lyrically, the album is a gem; I am yet to encounter another current band who makes such a refreshing use of subtext and a sense of almost-destructive existentialism, which explore themes relevant to everyone, though questioned by few. In particular, Latin For Truth songs always provoke thought, whether on an individual or social level, and rarely will their songs have single, black and white interpretations.
All in all, I face absolutely no struggle in dubbing this my personal album of the year. Youth Crew Blues is an album which should remind us of how little commercial success has to do with creating honest and heart-felt music. If you were to let a single album into your life right now, with the hope of seeing things differently, let it be this one.
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