Album Review You Me At Six - SUCKAPUNCH

It’s no secret that throughout their fourteen-year lifetime, You Me At Six have tried on their fair share of styles. From the glorious pop-punk of ‘Cavalier Youth’ to the gnarlier ‘Sinners Never Sleep’ via their most recent record ‘VI’ - named both after its spot in their discography and as a nod to their identity as a band - they’ve happily pushed against their own boundaries, aiming to explore different territory with each album. It’s on their seventh record - the in-your-face ‘SUCKAPUNCH’ - that they do so again, but this time, it arrives with a more aggressive edge. While ‘VI’ saw them reclaim their own sound, ‘SUCKAPUNCH’ feels to throw caution to the wind. Building upon the electronic flourishes they flirted with last time around, it’s here they embrace experimentation, with ‘MAKEMEFEELALIVE’ and ‘Beautiful Way’ both turbo-charged by Prodigy-esque samples. A melting pot of the band’s real-life influences - with more elements of dance and hip hop thrown into their rock hybrid than ever before - this is a version of You Me At Six we’ve never seen before, and it’s certainly bold.