You Me At Six, VI - album review

Remember that scene in sci-fi hit Gravity watching Sandra Bullock's astronaut sent spinning through space by an explosion in first person that leaves the viewer feeling motion sick? It's like that trying to keep tabs on YMAS' sound.

The band will absolutely love the fact that pigeon holing is almost impossible, and huge credit to them for managing to keep that up six records in.

From beat-filled pop to anthemic stadium sing-alongs to heavy DIY rock riffs to foot-tapping Two Door Cinema Club-esque bass lines. They've covered a lot since their formation in 2004.

This, VI, is not surprisingly their sixth full-length visit to the studio. But this time it's all them as they used their own Underdog Records imprint to record.

The party is pretty much non-stop from start to finish. Pop-infused summertime drive songs leap out from almost every twist and turn and the funky swagger from those Matt Barnes bass lines is pretty consistent from start to finish as well.

For exhibit A, listen to their single Back Again. Barnes orchestrates the track's movements, that deep oil slick of an undercurrent pulling all else along with it and reining everybody else back in when they start to venture off-piste.

His funk-ometer is ramped up to 11 for I O U - a seductively arrogant number that sounds like the Mean Girls or the lads from The Hangover arriving at a party, turning heads as they stroll through in slow motion, hair swishing in the breeze. The vibe is deceptively dark.

Fans of the heavier sounds of YMAS past may be a little disgruntled, but there is some fun for them to be had in the post-punk synth world of Miracle In The Mourning. This has a real beat to consume, Dan Flint's swish but forceful percussion dominating proceedings. Starting each segment off slowly, it builds throughout to a layered burst of a chorus that will prove popular live.

And there's the fun-time Predictable with its passive aggressive and abrasive nature. Both of these hark back to heavier influences and stop this being a straightforward pop romp. There's that pigeon hole dodging again!

Rating: 7/10

You Me At Six play at Birmingham's O2 Academy on November 26