Song Impression: You Me at Six – What’s It Like

Seeing the announcement for new music surprised me as You Me at Six has released Night People in 2017 and VI in 2018. What’s It Like moves in the same commercialized direction as their effort from last year. Not that the mainstream-friendly sound on the previous record was a problem, this time it lays that style too thick that takes away from the British outfit’s charm.

A reserved opening comes in before taking a beat of quiet then jumping into the night club scene. The electronic beats and heavy use of a synthesizer give that vibe, which felt off-putting.

As the vocals come in, none of the band participate as much as the synthesizer and Josh Franceschi singing. He has this hip-hop like pattern while melding other influences with his style that work well with his already delightful voice.

The chorus is catchy, but the electronics to replace the typical rock and pop-punk sounds I am used to makes it difficult to enjoy. It reminds me of any other generic tune you would hear at a college party where nobody cares about the quality of music that is playing. This is a radical change for the group while making sense with the sound from VI.

I have mixed feelings as I am glad one of my favorite groups are branching out of their comfort zone; however, this gravitates towards something more commercialized and less original. I can accept moving from the pop-punk roots, but if the rest of the potential album sounds like this, then it could be their first dud of a record. Fingers crossed if What’s It Like lands on a seventh album then enough diversity across the tracks can excuse this mistake.

What do you think of the new song? Check it out here: