YOBS have managed to distil their anarchic and fierce live performances into 10 tracks on their spiky debut.
Originally formed out of the ashes of now-defunct Liverpool bands Ohmns and Weird Sex, YOBS have been making quite a name for themselves with some utterly unhinged live performances. Clad in balaclavas – even in the hottest of venues – they play spiky and confrontational garage-rock, and if you’re a fan of bands who sound like they’re constantly teetering on the edge of chaotic collapse, this self-titled debut will not disappoint.
Some choppy guitar cuts through a wave of static, and we’re off, with the full-tilt brace of ‘YOBS Theme’ and ‘Cyanide’ guaranteed to blast away any mental cobwebs. The basic idea is barbed-wire guitars and pounding drums with gang vocal chants of the song title, and if that sounds overly simplistic, you’re missing the point. These guys are all about the sheer kinetic power of three chords and the truth, and it all sounds so damn vital. Still not convinced? Then away with you to your Emerson, Lake & Palmer albums, idiot.
That’s not to say that YOBS are one dimensional, though. ‘Plastercine’, with its almost spoken-word style vocals, lies somewhere between Killing Joke and Fucked Up, and is proof enough that they can be just as effective when they slow things down.
‘Tito Puente’, meanwhile, is a four minute assault on the senses, with a chorus seemingly custom-built for yelling out amidst a sweat-soaked tangle of bodies.
With ten tracks clocking in at just under half an hour, YOBS don’t outstay their welcome, but they leave one hell of an impact. Trust us that when you hear this record, you’ll be salivating at the thought of seeing it played live, and so it’s just as well that YOBS have already announced tour dates for the next few months. Whatever’s left of you afterwards can thank us – and, more importantly, them.
‘YOBS‘ is released on 3rd May via Fuzz Club Records. Get your pre order/pre save options HERE.
Check out their social media to get their upcoming live dates!
- YOBS Theme
- Cyanide
- Wasted
- Shitty Eye
- Plastercine
- Fortune Teller
- Head the Ball
- Cemetary Man
- Tito Puente
- Carpet Burns
Follow YOBS on Their Socials
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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