Artist: Young Love
Album: One Of Us
Genre: Electropop
Label: Island

Young Love is an act that’s been brewing just under the radar for a little while now. In fact, when I mentioned it, my girlfriend shot up like you told her she won the lottery she was so excited. So, at that moment, I decided there must be something to hear here. What I found on One Of Us was a tall order of electropop that makes valiant efforts to standout at a time when it’s a sound that seemingly everyone is abusing.

Starting off with a simplistic beat and monotone vocals, “Unafraid” kicks off things with a dance club ready anthem. There is a thin layer of full band orchestration underneath all the synth and clap tracks that make it so much more than the sound of another kid with a macbook and you’re hooked. “One To Ten” then sinks its’ teeth into us with a rave like beat matched with the poprock/scene king vocals of Dan Keyes [former frontman of post hardcore group Recover]. It’s catchy and alarmingly complex on a musical level. There is no simple rhythm with key melodies here, but the equivalent of twelve layer cake in musical form. Like a more mature version of the first Panic! At The Disco record.

The good vibes are found throughout the album, but it’s the way they’re presented that really clenches the record for me. “Get Me Up” feels like a disco leftover, but “The Picture” scream 80’s funk. Don’t take this to say the album sounds dated because it’s anything, but that. Keyes and crew have manage to coherently combine the last 3-4 decades of pop music into on sound and it works on nearly every level.

Not everything is about the dance though. “Down on Me” sounds almost like an alt rock track a group like Three Doors Down would write [musically]. I’m not too sure how I feel about the track as a whole, especially when speaking of cohesion with the disc, but the attempt is something to be admired. I just feel they reach a bit high and come off as corny instead of deep. Luckily, “Turn It Up,” another more band driven track, show the group can write a more rock driven track that works well. It’s undeniably catchy and will have you singing along throughout the summer without a doubt.

Young Love has constructed an infectious summer soundtrack with One Of Us. Nearly every track begs to be played under the bluest skies or on the beach [or both of course]. Though the writing is nowhere near advanced as the music, I doubt the fans of the act or this genre will really notice. This is a place for good vibes and good times and that’s exactly what you get with One Of Us.

Score: 7.5/10

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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