Youth Killed It's New LP What’s So Great, Britain?
Photo Courtesy of Youth Killed It
Norwich, England’s Youth Killed It started off the month with the release of a new LP, What’s So Great, Britain? Aptly titled, for the album’s ensuing cynicism.
The LP gets its start with the self titled track. “What’s So Great, Britain?” asks exactly that. The track opens with a guitar solo, preparing you for the vitality that starts when drums and vocals break in, calling out the ills of Britain both now and historically. You can’t argue with the bitterness expressed in this track, which makes the more personal animosity expressed later in the album all the easier to empathize with. Vocalist Jack Murphy addresses the connection, “It’s been a mad 18 months for Britain and my personal life in general, so I really put my heart on my sleeve with this one.”
What’s So Great, Britain? continues on with a balance of intensity and frustration. It jumps from “Headbutt,” a fast-paced track which the band refers to as a song “about toxic masculinity,” to “What You’re Thinking,” which shrugs off and addresses almost comically the internet troll persona to the tune of an aggressive rock guitar. The album veers into “This Sounds Cliche” with a gentler opening and lighter, but still strong beat. As the second-to-last track of the album, “This Sounds Cliche” provides a subtle transition from the socially minded, weighty majority of the album into the sensitive note on which it ends.
The LP closes with the most tender, honest track of the album. While the rest of the collection tackles a myriad of social ills crossing over with personal turmoil, the closing song is clearly a reflection of a more intimate difficulty. If the softer music doesn’t indicate this, the song’s lyrics make it obvious. “The house is empty, and your stuff still remains. But when that’s gone, will I ever be ok?” Despite its slight tonal shift, these unapologetically blunt lyrics give this song a place amongst the rest. Even more, it pulls the album’s big picture statements down to earth, giving us a place to really feel the LP as a whole.