Label: Family Values
Released: 18th February 2022
Fueled into hyperspeed by a never-ending stream of bleak real-world inspiration, Brighton’s own art-rock maestros, Youth Sector, present their latest four-track EP ‘Adult Contemporary.’ As any fans of the satire-pop artists would expect, this EP shoots an irreverent glance at the middle class, the climate crisis and the ever disappointing direction of human society. More than this, these four songs are brimming with an infectious enthusiasm that cannot be resisted.
Like a scrapbook with decades of musical inspiration, history leaps to mind while listening to ‘Adult Contemporary’. Whether it’s skittering basslines reminiscent of DEVO, rampant guitar noodling harkening to 00s pop-rock or more obscure sounds that touch onto the likes of Carter USM. These all set the stage for a scathing lyricism from lead vocalist Nick Tompkins, who sings with his tongue firmly in his cheek. “They told me everything would come my way if I just thought about it / but I’ve been thinking and thinking and well, look at me now,” he sings, boasting an uncanny penchant for painting feckless characters of the middle class and the idiocy behind our zeitgeist.
Youth Sector may not have revolutionised their output since previous EP ‘Mundanity’; however, they have continued to build phenomenal groundwork and anticipation for a future that is sure to hold a magnificent debut album. With society becoming ever more absurd, they’ll certainly have no shortage of subject matter.
