Saint Raymond - Young Blood

At just 20 years old, with nothing more than a handful of singles and EPs under his belt, Callum Burrows aka Saint Raymond is already making waves. The challenge he faces however is a difficult one. Up until now, Saint Raymond has relied on his ability to churn out feel-good summery anthems with ease, his euphoric montage-ready singles resulting in heavy airtime and endless festival slots. Now he needs to deliver an album that stands up in more than just three and a half minute cuts but as a full-length record as a whole.

The result is a mixed bag. ‘Young Blood’ feels complete and cohesive; it has a good flow. However, it comes alive only through its singles; the tracks stringing them together serving little purpose other than as a way to make things feel complete in an album context.

Thankfully this doesn’t detract too much from a debut that is in its majority immensely fun, powerfully uplifting and chock-full of hits. Jangly riffs and elated chorus surge straight through opener ‘Letting Go’ and onwards, letting up temporarily in some of ‘Young Blood’’s lesser moments but returning swiftly and with added drive time and time again. There are some tracks such as closer ‘Brighter Days’ and tropical jam ‘Wild Heart’ that will have others in his niche trembling in their boots, but where success stories like Ben Howard and George Ezra string together their singles with variety and intrigue, Saint Raymond is, as of yet, unable to quite find his other gears.

At the end of the day though, so what? ‘Young Blood’ isn’t going to change the face of music, it’s not going to go down in history as one of the greats, but it is certain to soundtrack a lot of good times and is a sure-fire pick-me-up on a rough day: hands-in-the-air, smiles wide bangers are certainly no bad thing. Weather the shelf-life of ‘Young Blood’ is any longer than one long, hot summer remains to be seen but for a debut it more than delivers what people already seem to love so much about Saint Raymond - if little more. The unapologetically simple ‘Young Blood’ is just that, young blood. It feels immature, carefree and most of all fun.