“Wither as we bloomed.”
It’s fortunate that I’ve never been forced to publicly define what ‘post hardcore’ actually means. If someone does ever catch me uttering those words, I do have my spiel ready – “the intersection between punk, rock and metal”. But really what I will mean is that it’s what alternative rock tries and fails to be (but that’s no way to make friends). Death of Youth are the blueprint for a DIY post hardcore band, and are joining the current surging interest in everything hardcore-adjacent. With various EPs documenting their formative years now in the distant past, it’s only recently that the band have become a proper live unit, joining choice line-ups to light up small venues in the south of the UK. Among their influences, Touché Amoré will have been at the top of Death of Youth’s playlists, not least Rob David’s who channels both the diction and poetic style of Jeremy Bolm. David’s writing is an order of magnitude more direct, tackling all manner of timely issues in the UK that are well worth getting angry about: austerity, political charlatans, femicide, abuse, and transphobia; topics that find resonance far beyond the post hardcore scene.
The record kicks off with “Desensitised”, possessing a sound both powerful and professional, far beyond one’s expectations given Death of Youth’s scrappy background. Much credit must go to the band for this, as their performances are tight and discipled across Nothing Is The Same Anymore. The production work from Rogue Studios (Michael Kew and Rob Parnell) is also fundamental here, delivering fidelity that one wishes was granted to the most timeless post hardcore bands in their early days. On “Desensitised” they’re bouncing between volumes in a dynamic manner, whereas on the following track, “Rumination”, they stay at their full intensity throughout. An especially tasty beat switch halfway through the track will surely set off many a two-step at Death of Youth shows.
One of the victories of Nothing Is The Same Anymore is its structure. On the face of it, each track deals with all the expected sounds that a four piece post hardcore band, but digging deeper uncovers many deliberate choices which elevate the album. Lead single “Fix Your Heart or Die” closes on a gently swaying instrumental, allowing listeners to linger in its call to action (“We’ve won this fight before / so you’ll always be on the wrong side of history”). “Bystander” answers this energy through the album’s most gradual introduction, with spoken word and tense instrumentals. It takes this the first minute to build up static charge, unleashed for possibly the album’s most mic-grabbable moment (“In this rigged and outdated system / I don’t see why we can’t rise above / and fight for those who are in the cross-hairs”). The dynamics are kept sharp as the intensity falls again, until a sudden Deafheaven-worthy skramz beatdown makes for a true finale. Within each track, the songwriting sticks to tried-and-tested patterns, so it’s all the more important that the overall structure of Nothing Is The Same Anymore is so thoroughly mediated.
Speaking of heavy moments, “The Inverse of Patriotism” is the record’s shortest and shoutiest. Lyrically, it deals with those who hide their racism behind the thin nylon of St George’s flag. Often named ‘flag shaggers’, David’s words are pointed directly at them, and are only slightly less blunt (“Would you still wave your flag if you could see the blood that stains our hands?”). More often than not, Death of Youth choose this confrontational approach with their lyrics, mincing no words and challenging bigotry as directly as possible. It won’t be lost on the band that their audience demographic are largely a choir they will preach to, but these are the sort of lyrics (and delivery) that make Death of Youth’s anger infectious. The point is not simply to rock out, but to get the listeners furious and inspired, charged towards protest activity themselves. Even still, the band tackle their own court directly on “Performance Art”, where the sword is directed at bigots that linger within DIY punk scene (“you still remain the minority…I hope the door hits you as you leave”).
The record describes the modern day as a desolate time, so it’s all the more important that the final two tracks turn inwards and address more personal topics. On top of all the misery propagated by capital, privilege, and prejudice, humans will always forced to reckon with unforgiving grief. “Castle Rock” and title track “Nothing Is The Same Anymore” should be considered inseparable as closers, the first running into the second to create a five-minute suite. The former is penned as a letter to a distant friend that has passed, capturing that sudden perspective shift in slow motion. This bleak topic that is matched to an unexpectedly sunny atmosphere, with glassy clean guitars and delicate drums. With just one set of chords, it brings a hint of ‘post’ to an otherwise rock-focused album. After shrill feedback, the impassioned post hardcore fury returns on “Nothing Is The Same Anymore”, taking forward that buoyant energy for a hopeful take on grieving and progress. It’s a fantastic finale, and certainly the record’s best track just behind “Bystander”.
Nothing Is The Same Anymore is a record that plays out like the ideal no-barrier set list for a post hardcore band. Across this flurry of strong tracks, one can easily imagine the select pauses taken to tune up, praise the rest of the line up, and underline the band’s true intent – to make righteous noise against fascism, and galvanise a community towards positive action.
8/10
Nothing Is The Same Anymore is releasing on the 16th February through network of different labels: Engineer Records (UK), Cat’s Claw Records (UK, cassette), Sell The Heart Records (US), Remorse Records (France), Dancing Rabbit Records (Germany), Vina Records (Italy), and Pasidaryk Pat Records (Lithuania).