You Had Me At Hello
Born at the end of 2009, UK Pop-punk band, You Had Me At Hello are due to release their debut EP, Take It Off, on the 4th of June this year. Using infectious rhythms and powerful punk rock to craft their own take on modern punk, this band have already achieved supporting slots with the likes of Army of Freshmen and Utah Saints. February of 2011 saw the band hit the US for a tour and some recording, and this year is looking like another massive year for the band. As such, I thought it only right I check out their offerings!
Opening with Diamonds & Pearls you’re immediately greeted by a good solid dose of pop punk, a raucous guitar line and vocals which you want to sing along to. Jumpy and fun from the off, immediately this album is looking good, it’s got the catchy qualities which you would expect whilst still packing enough punch to stand alongside the likes of The Offspring or Blink 182. Packed with catchy hooks and mainstream qualities, this is the sort of track you can imagine being blasted out on the radio or at a live show, sun shining and lots of beer being consumed to accompany the melodic distorted tracks.
Breathless follows on, slowing the tempo down as it begins but soon resuming the relentless rolling pace designed to get you moving along. Fast and powerful, this is another track which has been carefully crafted for the live scene, and one which a lot of people are going to get in to. Melodic and catchy once again, straight away you’ll be singing along with the band, joining in and jumping around the room like a loon to the beat, it’s impossible to resist music that is simply this catchy! Say It Ain’t Much follows on next, this time opening sludgy and powerful before launching into an emotionally laden track, full to the brim with catchy riffs, soaring lead snippets and more of those serene vocals. The slower beat which this track adopts further demonstrates how the band have thought about their sound, how they’ve crafted it and how well put together the end result is, it’s a well pieced together track which fits in perfectly with the theme of the album as a whole. Even throwing in a guitar solo to keep the air guitarists happy, this track literally has it all and stands out as a serious highpoint on the album to make sure you check out.
Kill The Catch returns us to the more upbeat tracks of the album, throwing down into a palm muted riff fuelled section to get crowds moving once again. Powerful and catchy from the word go, this is another track which has been crafted for the live scene, and one which is going to destroy venues and leave crowds begging for more. If anyone ever had any doubts about the power of 4 chords they need only listen to this track, it works perfectly and will have you singing along before too long. Carry On matches this sentiment perfectly once again, throwing straight into the crescendo of the album and allowing you one final chance to kick back and have a good time with the band. Fun, jumpy and powerful throughout, this final track closes the album perfectly, leaving you with a good feeling but a taste for what they’ve got to offer.
There’s nothing new or particularly new about the style of You Had Me At Hello, but I don’t think there needs to be. This is a band who have taken a sound which has been being made for over 10 years now, yet they’ve managed to turn it into something fresh and exciting once again. We’ve all got memories of the music that got us into rock and metal, and for me it was this style of punk. As such, listening to this album brought back all the memories of early Offspring, Brodie playing the White Horse in High Wycombe, seeing Blink 182 at Reading in 2003, and generally that awesome feeling of seeing a band for the first time and getting into it. As such, whilst this might not be the most advanced album ever – it’s one of the most hard hitting I’ve come across, purely for its power to transport you back to a time when things were fresh and new, and music was exciting and fun. In summary, this is a band you need to hear!
To find out more about You Had Me At Hello, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with Diamonds & Pearls you’re immediately greeted by a good solid dose of pop punk, a raucous guitar line and vocals which you want to sing along to. Jumpy and fun from the off, immediately this album is looking good, it’s got the catchy qualities which you would expect whilst still packing enough punch to stand alongside the likes of The Offspring or Blink 182. Packed with catchy hooks and mainstream qualities, this is the sort of track you can imagine being blasted out on the radio or at a live show, sun shining and lots of beer being consumed to accompany the melodic distorted tracks.
Breathless follows on, slowing the tempo down as it begins but soon resuming the relentless rolling pace designed to get you moving along. Fast and powerful, this is another track which has been carefully crafted for the live scene, and one which a lot of people are going to get in to. Melodic and catchy once again, straight away you’ll be singing along with the band, joining in and jumping around the room like a loon to the beat, it’s impossible to resist music that is simply this catchy! Say It Ain’t Much follows on next, this time opening sludgy and powerful before launching into an emotionally laden track, full to the brim with catchy riffs, soaring lead snippets and more of those serene vocals. The slower beat which this track adopts further demonstrates how the band have thought about their sound, how they’ve crafted it and how well put together the end result is, it’s a well pieced together track which fits in perfectly with the theme of the album as a whole. Even throwing in a guitar solo to keep the air guitarists happy, this track literally has it all and stands out as a serious highpoint on the album to make sure you check out.
Kill The Catch returns us to the more upbeat tracks of the album, throwing down into a palm muted riff fuelled section to get crowds moving once again. Powerful and catchy from the word go, this is another track which has been crafted for the live scene, and one which is going to destroy venues and leave crowds begging for more. If anyone ever had any doubts about the power of 4 chords they need only listen to this track, it works perfectly and will have you singing along before too long. Carry On matches this sentiment perfectly once again, throwing straight into the crescendo of the album and allowing you one final chance to kick back and have a good time with the band. Fun, jumpy and powerful throughout, this final track closes the album perfectly, leaving you with a good feeling but a taste for what they’ve got to offer.
There’s nothing new or particularly new about the style of You Had Me At Hello, but I don’t think there needs to be. This is a band who have taken a sound which has been being made for over 10 years now, yet they’ve managed to turn it into something fresh and exciting once again. We’ve all got memories of the music that got us into rock and metal, and for me it was this style of punk. As such, listening to this album brought back all the memories of early Offspring, Brodie playing the White Horse in High Wycombe, seeing Blink 182 at Reading in 2003, and generally that awesome feeling of seeing a band for the first time and getting into it. As such, whilst this might not be the most advanced album ever – it’s one of the most hard hitting I’ve come across, purely for its power to transport you back to a time when things were fresh and new, and music was exciting and fun. In summary, this is a band you need to hear!
To find out more about You Had Me At Hello, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls