Young Guns –Ones and Zeros

Since their first EP Mirrors was released back in 2009, UK-based rock quintet Young Guns have been on something of a journey. From living the high-life in Thailand to their breakthrough second album Bones granting them chart success and radio play throughout the UK and US, the band have enjoyed a reasonably successful start to their career but will maybe feel the best is behind them if they fail to prove a point with the ‘make or break’ third album, this latest full-length release Ones and Zeros.

From the album’s theatrical synth-induced opener Rising Up, it is clear the band hasn’t simply set a mission statement to produce Bones ‘2.0’ with this follow-up. The electronic influences enhanced with creative guitar sections and clean, solid vocal performances from frontman Gustav Wood creates a very pure sound and soon continues with the album’s leading single I Want Out that easily contains the record’s biggest and most memorable hook. The group’s strength of building epic, emotional soundscapes that can be seen from previous material is brilliantly put into effect throughout Ones and Zeros and the new heavily focused synth layer is applied to the whole album like a filter, providing evidence the five-piece are more than capable of evolving their sound to fulfill their artistic desires.

Check out our quick interview with Gustav Wood at Rock on the Range!

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The rest of the record follows suit with this new formula Gustav and co. have created for themselves. More highlights include Daylight and Colour Blind, which bring with them huge arena-filling rock anthems and showcase the hunger Young Guns currently possess to make it to the top. The band continue to be ambitious and push their creative boundaries through tracks such as Memento Mori and Lullaby, and although their aim is admirable in creating significant modern day rock ballads, they are unfortunately let down by Wood’s vocal range that falls just short of the mark at handling the big moments. You can’t help feel some diverse guest appearances would have brought another level of depth to these tracks and indeed the album as a whole, but it could act as another learning curve for a band still finding their feet and defining their sound.

Ones and Zeros is a solid third full-length release for Young Guns. Although they have taken a step back from a standard rock sound by adapting a new electronic pallet, you can’t deny their ambition and drive to experiment with new ideas in order to stay relevant in an ever changing musical landscape. The result is a band that sound fresh more than anything else, and they will be hoping this record re-stakes their claim as next in line to the British rock crown after fading into the background in the last two years. With what has proved to be a dynamic and enjoyable outing with this record, there is no reason why they can’t achieve that.

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Catch the boys touring in the States later this June w/ Three Days Grace: 17 June – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark19 June – South Bend, IN  @ Club Fever 20 June – Burlington , IA  @ Steamboat Days See also LIVE SHOW REVIEW: AC/DC – Atlanta 21 June – Lincoln, NE  @ Bourbon Theatre 24 June – Libertyville, IL  @ Austin’s Saloon 26 June – Bay City, MI  @ Veterans Memorial Park 27 June – Oxford, OH @ Indian Creek Amphiteatre  28 June – Sylvania, OH @ Centennial Terrace