With the energy and passion of the UK’s modern alt-rock scene, channelling popular 2010s bands like Mallory Knox and Young Guns, and the heartfelt honesty of Springsteen inspired Americana punk acts like The Gaslight Anthem, Kent based quartet The Young Hearts bring an upbeat positivity to their anthemic punk sound. On their sophomore album Somewhere Through The Night The Young Hearts celebrate their influences, finding a balance between retro heartland rock and modern anthemic punk.
Between soaring blues rock inspired lead guitar lines from guitarist Connor Maguire and stadium ready vocals from frontman Craig Lawrence the melodic heart of The Young Hearts shines from the first lines of Somewhere Through The Night. Album opener ‘Famous Last Words’ captures the Americana meets 2010s alt-rock spirit of The Young Hearts perfectly, with a sing-along, Springsteen-esque chorus and propulsive rock energy there’s plenty to enjoy from the very beginning of the album. This solid melodic bedrock can come across as a bit of a double edged sword at points in the album with the dual guitars and full vocals causing the drums to become a little lost in the mix.
“A cross-country road trip on an album that would make just as worthy a soundtrack to driving on the Jersey turnpike or the M1 through Milton Keynes”
Like many of their inspirations The Young Hearts capture the feel of a cross-country road trip on an album that would make just as worthy a soundtrack to driving on the Jersey turnpike or the M1 through Milton Keynes. Tracks like ‘Hit The Ground Running’ and ‘A Charmed Society’ strike the perfect balance between Biffy Clyro style alt-rock and Bryan Adams inspired feel-good american rock by merging jangling open guitar chords and staccato riffs backed by drummer Joe Price shaking up his punchy classic rock beats with driving post-hardocre inspired fills. Like every road trip Somewhere Through The Night has both the joy of the open road, the feel of the wind in your hair to some classic tunes, and moments of monotony where the journey seems to stretch on forever and too many of the album’s twelve tracks seem to follow the same roads.
Somewhere Through The Night seems to come alive when The Young Hearts lean towards either their Americana or British alt-rock inspirations, allowing the other to shine through in key moments for a truly unique sound. A highlight of the album is the stripped down, acoustic track ‘Passenger’ which allows frontman Craig Lawrence’s voice to take centre stage, backed only by open acoustic guitar chords and a harmonica but with lush, angsty vocals that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Deaf Havana record. The counterpoint to this would be ‘Take A Ride’ which elevates their 2010s UK rock influences to almost cartoonish levels, sounding like a copy of NME got stuck in a blender, standing out thanks to the band’s fantastic ear for melody and emotive lead guitar lines.
“Like every road trip Somewhere Through The Night has both the joy of the open road, the feel of the wind in your hair to some classic tunes, and moments of monotony”
The album’s closer, title track ‘Somewhere Through The Night’, presents a version of the band that it would’ve been great to hear more of throughout the previous tracks, full of confident swagger, sounding like a heartland rock version of McFly. Bringing in a vintage sounding piano, packed backing vocals and brash horns to fill out their sound without losing sight of their British rock roots, it’s fantastic to hear The Young Hearts lean this heavily into a heartfelt love letter to the ‘80s Americana icons who inspired them. It would’ve been interesting to hear how some of these sonic tools could’ve enhanced some tracks on the album, transforming some of the more straightforward British alt-rock songs with a touch more ‘80s Americana magic.
Somewhere Through The Night celebrates an interesting back-and-forth between its warring inspirations, at its best bringing the honesty and focus on melody of Americana together with the raw, earnest energy of British alt-rock. The Young Hearts attempt a precarious balancing act between their influences, crafting a unique and endearing experience when they manage to stick the landing.