Truth Decay
Truth Decay has a very clear idea of what You Me at Six do well. Big guitars, bigger choruses, and Josh Franceschi sounding as though the conversation has gone badly enough that he might as well sing about it. It's an easy sound to like. The question is how much the band can get out of it across a full album.
Quite a lot, as it turns out. Deep Cuts is a particularly good start. Its main riff has some bounce, and the chorus arrives with enough force to make the song feel properly alive. It gives the record a strong foundation before Mixed Emotions takes a more open, melodic route. The full title is almost a paragraph, but the song itself is much less complicated. It communicates its frustration clearly and has a chorus built for a room full of people.
No Future? Yeah Right, featuring Rou Reynolds, adds a sharper edge. His appearance suits the song rather than interrupting it, and the extra aggression helps the album avoid settling into a comfortable middle pace. God Bless the 90's Kids goes for a more obvious anthem. It's effective, although the slogan does a little more work than the writing around it.
That's the slight problem here. The band know how to build towards a large chorus, and occasionally the journey feels too well rehearsed. A few songs have the right sounds and the right structure without leaving much behind. Breakdown has energy, but it's less convincing than the opening stretch.
The gentler moments help. A Smile to Make You Weak(er) at the Knees gives the album some warmth, while A Love Letter to Those Who Feel Lost, with Cody Frost, is a thoughtful way to close. The change in voices gives that final song a reason to stay with you beyond its first chorus.
There is enough personality in Franceschi's delivery to carry the weaker patches, and the strongest tracks are genuinely strong. Truth Decay works best when the band put a specific feeling behind the big sound. They manage that often enough to make this a worthwhile return to familiar territory.
