Album Review: Yours Truly – Self Care

If ever there was a time for an injection of the positivity associated with pop-punk, and embodying the concept of ‘self care’ it’s now. Australian quartet Yours Truly have done a lot of living in a short time, bursting out of high school and graduating to the trials and tribulations that come with being young and in a band – facing those burgeoning doubts, vanquishing them, and chronicling the process on this debut album.

You might think this truncated timeframe would leave Self Care a little green, but it's a seriously assured listen, hitting the ears and the feels with equal effectiveness. Singer Mikaila Delgado embodies the kind of confidence the quartet wants to instil in listeners, and as an example of practicing what you preach goes, opener Siamese Souls puts its best foot forward with an unrelenting spirit of confidence.

Soaring single Together and the joyous kick of Vivid Dream ensure that momentum isn’t lost, before Undersize changes the pace with its warm acoustics and plucked orchestral strings. The latter track and strummed sing-along Half Of Me notwithstanding, if Self Care is lacking in one area it’s musical diversity, though that will surely come with time.

The truth is, with Mikaila leading ably from the fore, powerful and uninhibited, the limitations of the music her voice is riding on are a minor quibble, as you’re already willingly along for the ride. Plus, having illustrated such a mastery of their craft here, Yours Truly have laid the foundations to be able to go wherever they want next. However things pan out, it’s sure to be worth your care and attention.

Verdict: 4/5

For Fans Of: State Champs, With Confidence, Tonight Alive

Self Care is released on September 25 via UNFD.

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