Young Guns, an alt-rock five piece from London, released their third studio album Ones and Zeros just over two weeks ago. It marks the end of a three and half year spell where the group kept us waiting for new content, spending the time trying to penetrate the growing Brit-rock scene over in the States. The album is in many ways a reflection of this attempt to break into the mass market for music; it utilises beats and synthesised sounds more often associated with dance or pop tracks than rock and metal.
This is not to say they have abandoned their old sound, as the guitar riffs and unique vocals which Young Guns are renowned for are still present, most notably on their opening track, and pre-released single, ‘Rising up’ . This is a track which fuses two very different styles of music, with the result being a fast-paced, electrifying song with the potential to set crowds alight. I had hoped this track would set the tone for the album, and make for great live performances. However, whilst tracks, ‘I Want Out’ and ‘Daylight’ hit the mark in terms of originality and quality, the rest of the album is somewhat lacking.
Unfortunately, as a result of the dance-like and very similar backing beats, the album’s main body is essentially very similar, meaning listening to it all the way through can become tedious. This is disappointing, as one thing Young Guns’ last two albums had was huge variety in the types of tracks they contained. However, in their own right the songs are not bad on their own; every track has the same quality of vocals that Gustav Wood brings, and a catchy tune that – if it wasn’t repeated across the record – would be highly rated. As it is, the album is a mixed one, not catering to the taste of Young Guns’ older fans who knew them in their heavier, rockier stage, but certainly ensuring the band will gain ample coverage in the alt-rock and pop-rock scene.
So what does this album mean for Young Guns, and where can you expect to see them next? Well, having headlined Download and toured the UK in the last few months, they’re clearly set on returning with a bang. With the new album’s release, it seems likely they’ll come further to the forefront the UK’s alt-rock scene. Despite some songs on this album being under-whelming, it has enough clout to gain repute and exposure on radio and TV (specifically Kerrang! who have already featured a number of the tracks). This should see more fans being drawn to the band and undoubtedly discovering Young Guns’ first two albums, which are frankly better. Hopefully the band will reach the heights they deserved but never quite achieved with Bones and, earlier still, Sons of Apathy.
Words by Jonah Elvidge
@jonahelv