My older sister and I engage in a constant exchange of music, which keeps us in touch, despite physical distance. So when she posted the music video “Real” by a band called Years & Years on my wall last year, I listened to it like I did the rest.
Then I listened to it again.
Then, listening a third time, I looked up the rest of the band’s songs and listened to those. Now the Years & Years is my one of my favorite bands.
And now, history has repeated itself.
The London trio released their EP, Y & Y in February. For a little over a year, Years & Years have been releasing single–based EPs and remixes, first under Paris–based label Kitsuné and then British Polydor records. They released the album after winning the prestigious BBC Sound of 2015 Award. And boy, did it follow up.
Just as the success of “Latch” lies in its combination of Sam Smith’s uniquely dope vocals and Disclosure's EDM stylings, Years & Years takes the two elements and goes even further. Frontman and lead singer Olly Alexander’s dynamic and exceptional vocal skills slay in every track. They build energy over thumping beats, like in “Desire” and “King”, and radiate emotion, like on the mournful “Memo." Bonus: if you look carefully, you'll recognize Olly from the show Skins.
“Memo” expresses the band’s soulful rhythm and blues influences, as Olly's vulnerable falsetto asks in the chorus, “Are you gonna hurt? Are you gonna burn? Gonna answer me?" His lyrics reflect the reciprocal uncertainty inherent in every relationship, every desire. Even as the fast–paced songs draw you in with their catchy rhythms, their lyrics reveal a hunger for connection restrained by an aching self–doubt. The chorus of “Real” says it best: “Oh I think that if I had been enough for you/I’d be better, would I be good?”
