The time is the early 2000s. Five friends in southeast England come together to play music as a pass of time. Together, they pull in more than a million plays on their MySpace by the year 2007. In 2009, they released their debut album “Take Off Your Colors” with Epitaph Records. Their current release is with BMG Rights Management.  

“Night People” is a startling contrast to the theme of their earlier album “Cavalier Youth.” You Me At Six has had a mouth for rebellion since the release of their first EP in 2005, but the themes for “Night People” dip into reckless and painful love from the point of view of a man  confused about how and when he fell in and out of love with his significant other. Compared to older hits such at “Bite My Tongue” and “Cold Night,” YMAS came back with a new sound that can go from a typical party song to something you’d relate to at the end of a relationship.

After three years, YMAS does not fail to bring a quality album with a unifying theme. Though the story pieces are not technically in order, the 10-song track list narrates the stages of falling in love and the end of a disaster before they delve into the regret that is letting go perhaps too soon in the final track “Give.”  While the previous album “Cavalier Youth” deals with maturing and growing older, you see the growth of the emotion and sound of the band throughout the whole album of “Night People.”

In their lyrics, YMAS talk about hurting alone but looking to a bright future. A great example appears in “Heavy Soul,” then again shown in the track “Can’t Hold Back” where the vocalist sings “nobody wants to be alone.” In chronological order, it seems that the title track takes place after the final track “Give,” and the story begins with “Heavy Soul,” carrying into “Take On the World.”

The new album “Night People” was made for healing through the up-and-down emotional stages of a relationship, the mixture of angry and desperate tones and self-reflecting lyrics perfect for a cry-it-out night or earbud tunes throughout the day.

Though the album has been criticized for being generic and glossy (what band isn’t?), it’s not meant to be listened to on a whim and in the car. However, it is true that some songs are not memorable, such as track “Make Your Move.” While it fits the album’s theme well, it’s not likely fans will remember this song as their favorite. “Heavy Soul” may only be remembered by strong fans, as it sounds like any other heartbreak song by an angsty artist on the charts (Paramore, Black Veil Brides, Thirty Seconds to Mars). The songs that stood out the most were obviously the anthem title track “Night People” and “Spell it Out.”

It may be a few more years before we hear back from YMAS, but “Night People” was a statement for what is next to come. Their new sound, while in some cases poorly pulled off, was accomplished in key tracks. YMAS seems to be experimenting before they blow us away with another album. “Night People” experiences its generic fillers somewhere in the middle of the album, either setting up another song or extending the length of its overall runtime. It’s theme is more serious, but has its moments of release with clever and witty lyrics (Such as ‘If your past calls / Don’t pick it up’). Overall, this album deserves a B.

“Skip” tracks: “Heavy Soul,” “Make Your Move,” “Swear” and “Can’t Hold Back”
Must listen: “Night People,” “Spell it Out” and “Give”