When I reviewed Young Francis Hi Fi's digital track "I Wanna Hold You Tight (Tonite)" three years ago, I was excited to hear tuneful punk music with such tremendous energy. Little did I know that it would be three years before the Brighton-based outfit would get an album out. But this is a full-length debut that has proven to be well worth the wait. Years later, Young Francis Hi Fi's sound has toughened up considerably while still retaining all its original charms. Out on 14th Floor Music/Dirty Water Records, The Young Generation is a raging firecracker of a record that's thrilling to the finish. On paper, this seems like it would be a pop-punk album. Most of the songs are about girls and run around two minutes. But more than anything else, this is a rock n' roll record. Young Francis Hi Fi play fast and furiously, blending pure pop music with blistering garage punk and bulldozing hard rock. I can't think of another band out there that does this sort of thing this well. The Young Generation is pure fun and excitement meets raw power. With the opening 1-2 punch of "I Wanna Hold You Tight (Tonite)" and "Baby You're Braindead," the band affirms that punk rock music can be super poppy yet still melt your face off. Later on, the back-to-back pairing of "Do You Like Good Music?" with "Dance If You Wanna" is a veritable mission statement! Listening to "Don't Break Mt Heart," I can imagine a few action rock bands wishing they could kick this much ass! If you're looking for an album that will get your heart racing, your toes tapping, and your head bobbing, The Young Generation is it. Young Francis Hi Fi have delivered a debut LP that will remind us all why we fell in love with punk rock in the first place.
Pure gold.
ReplyDelete