You, Me, and Everyone We Know – Some Things Don’t Wash Out
Released: October 12, 2010
Label: Doghouse
Purchase: iTunes | Amazon
You, Me, and Everyone We Know make their debut on Doghouse Records, following their two self-released EPs Party For The Grown and Sexy and So Young, So Insane. From the start of the album, opening with the anthemic “Shock and Awe”, it is apparent that the band is back and better than ever, bringing the catchy and entertaining music that make up their forte. For the most part, this has always been You, Me, and Everyone We Know’s main strength, and as seen on the band’s first two efforts, they have always been able to take advantage of it.
Some Things Don’t Wash Out is no different. This time around, frontman Ben Liebsch is out to prove himself, laying out his life and stories for the listener to indulge in. At times, the message is entirely too personal and hard to identify with, with music-industry directed shoutouts and namedrops: Cody Payne from The Dangerous Summer receives a quite unfavorable f**k you in “Shock and Awe”. Even though most of us can’t necessarily relate, the overall feeling of youthful rebellion and overcoming obstacles is more than enough for us to grip on to.
No matter how lethargic of a listener you may be, the authentic catchiness of the record will have you bobbing your head and singing along. Each time I give this album a spin, I find myself wanting to sing along with Liebsch. The new rework for “Livin’ Th’ Dream”, much more polished than before, features shouts of “Yes we can!” that can be inspiring to anyone.
No song sounds the same on the entire record, but the record still works together like a well-oiled machine. The band successfully ventures into a number of different genres, from the funk-influenced “James Brown Is Dead” to the smooth ballad “Moon, Roll Me Away”. “The Next 20 Minutes” even includes a fanfare of trumpets and concludes with a trumpet solo. Fans of the band’s old sound need not be disappointed however. Tracks like “Some Things Don’t Wash Out” and “A Bigger Point of Pride” could easily fit on the band’s first two EPs, capturing the creativity of the band’s past and infusing it with the now more-experienced and more mature sound of the band.
As fans of the band have already discovered, YMAEWK never lacks in the lyrics department. Cheeky lines juxtaposed with sound advice such as “keep your chin up on the behalf / of every beautiful rejection / with their own ugly reflection / to anyone who’s ever never felt the same / pick yourself up by the bootstraps” demonstrate the new mentality of the band and are the perfect pick-me-ups for anyone that may be in a rough moment in their life.
The longest songs on the album only reach 3:39, with the entire 11-track album only clocking in at a little over 33 minutes. At times, the organization seems a little bit clumsy, with the longer songs on the album clumped together in the middle of the album. After the enthusiastically fast-paced opening with tracks “Shock and Awe” and “I’m Losing Weight For You”, the transition into longer tracks feels slightly out-of-place but is still a minor lapse.
Some Things Don’t Wash Out is a great transition for the band onto a wider stage, moving from the successful EPs to creating a successful studio album. As many know, pop-punk is a dying genre, but with YMAEWK’s new effort, the genre proves that it is not yet dead. Some Things Don’t Wash Out is a solid, carefree pop album that holds up after successive listens and succeeds in its main goal: entertaining the listener. While the band is not necessarily bringing anything new to the table, YMAEWK is, with no doubt, calling attention to themselves with their new record. And hopefully, the band eventually ends up being “some thing that doesn’t wash out.”
8.4
Standout Tracks: “Shock and Awe”, “A Bigger Point of Pride”, “James Brown Is Dead”, “The Puzzle”