EP review: Young Culture – Godspeed

Albany, New York trio Young Culture have been kicking around for a few years now. While they ostensibly play pop-punk, the trio have always liked to test the boundaries of the genre – even going so far as to release hip-hop-inspired mixtape under the abbreviated moniker YC three years ago.

This EP follows on from the band’s self-titled debut full-length last year. Like that record, Godspeed is a burst of joyous, sunny and heartfelt pop-punk, albeit with the emphasis on the pop. Co-produced by State Champs vocalist Derek DiScanio, who has been a longtime advocate of the band, these five songs are slick, polished and catchy enough that you could imagine them bothering the charts, as well as the main stage at Slam Dunk.

It begins with the title-track, a romantic road-trip song that drives forward even as it looks back. It’s an innocent, happy-sad summer anthem (and a very American one, at that) that turns adversity into something more positive – a you-and-me-against-the-world defiance that might be slightly clichéd, but which still has a powerful punch. Hum, which kind of sounds like Truly Madly Deeply by Australian popsters Savage Garden, is equally carefree, while you’ll be hard-pressed to not find the chorus of Shiver stuck in your head after the first listen.

After those three songs, however, things take a slight dip. Simplemindedteens – which, amusingly, sounds more like “sipping Martinis” when sung – is a nostalgic pop-punk-lite tune with a slightly irritating melody. It’s followed by closer Head High (Swim) – a glossy, poppy track/self-help anthem for anybody feeling at the end of their tether. The idea is important, but the execution isn’t quite right. Still, while this might not be the most profound or groundbreaking set of songs, its heart is in the right place.

Verdict: 3/5

For Fans Of: Neck Deep, Busted, State Champs

Tawny is out on July 30 via Equal Vision.

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