EP review: Y!KES – Lostalgia

When a new band gets Thursday frontman and emo hero Geoff Rickly on board for a song, you’d be forgiven for assuming their sound lies somewhere in the emo-meets-post-hardcore realm. Rather than throwing things back to the ’00s, however, Birmingham newcomers Y!KES deal in hyperactive grunge that’s eccentric, catchy and the kind of music that makes for a feel-good time.

Opening with the charming grunge-pop of I’m Not Joking, Y!KES’ guitars throb and the melodies soar around the wails of vocalist Oli Long. General Practice is a similarly atmospheric rocker that’s got elements of grunge and even a little prog, but the band also impress when they do things more simply. Long Gone Silver offers plenty of riffy fun, while the fuzzy indie-rock of Jukebox Martyr recalls the rampant choruses and party-starting fever of The Hives.

Then, there’s Geoff Rickly’s cameo on Just Me, which adds some emotional weight to proceedings and elevates the impact of the song’s dissonant and gruff sound, before closer HDMI returns to a familiar and upbeat indie-meets-grunge formula to round out proceedings.

A fine seven-track collection that promises much more to come, Lostalgia demonstrates this band's considerable songwriting chops, as well as their obvious penchant for letting the good vibes flow. Better yet, despite its title, there’s no hankering for or pandering to sounds and trends of old on this EP – Y!KES have an identity all of their own. Given time, these boys could become scarily good.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: The Hives, Phoxjaw, Fangclub

Lostalgia is out now.

READ THIS: 10 lesser known grunge albums you should own