Let The Sky Burn! YOUTH CODE
In-Depth Review + Stream

There have been rumblings across this cybernetic spectrum unsure as to just why exactly it’s Youth Code that has generated such extreme gravitation. They certainly aren’t the first to revitalize a genre. They aren’t children of extreme conditions (although Ryan’s tenure in Carry On may count). They aren’t…whatever else people say they aren’t. So why exactly?  Well, to those bush-league detractors the “reason” is as follows: Ryan George and Sara Taylor bring so much energy they make a cargo-plane crash look tame by comparison.

Youth Code have certainly hit the ground running, releasing and playing virtually non-stop since the quiet premiere of Destroy, Said She on Soundcloud. After a demo cassette and a 7″ on Angry Love Productions, Youth Code bring the total tonal eardrum assault with their self-titled debut. The remastering of tracks that have previously appeared elsewhere gives them enough breathing room to sprawl and unfurl like the wild animal each one of these songs are, while the new material shows extreme growth. From top to bottom this album is a classic.

The first thing you notice about the opening track, “Let The Sky Burn”, isn’t necessarily the sample but it’s completely dance-oriented arrangement, over a drum beat that sounds like a crowbar banged against an air conditioning unit. Youth Code may have been at risk of sounding too on the nose, too scowling, and starting off the album with a club floor metabanger thankfully assuages that notion. Ryan George’s chainsaw-mangled voice could tear down walls and wake the pharoahs. I completely believe him when he screams “I believe in nothing/for too long.” The music builds over distorted circuit-bendings and disorienting samples, catching you up on the terrifying current state of affairs (“the middle class is being wiped out/how can you defend this policy of the deliberate depreciation of our money?”) Strap the fuck in, this is going to be good.

“First and Last” starts with another vocal sample, threatening and voyeuristic, before the room is fucking cleared by a vocal boom to give center stage to Sara Taylor. “First And Last” marks a considerable presentation value. This is through and through a real song; complete structure, complete verse/chorus/middle 8 break, and it doesn’t seem cheesy or forced as it dips down before it’s inevitable re-rise. The multilayered and panned vocals work wonders to convey the sense of madness that accompanies a Youth Code show. The seething and vicious dualism, both parties on display in full force. As does “Carried Mask”, which was streamed a few weeks back. Containing samples of Robert De Niro, (maybe?) the vocals are pushed right up front. The expertly crafted mixture of Sara’s highly distorted vocals and samples of Ryan’s uncompromising harsh backing shouts keep the energy at 230% before sliding into”Destroy Said She”, which has becomes sort of the signature song for Youth Code. “Destroy Said She” receives a massive overhaul; it’s snarling plucking synths dipping through an LPF filter in the intro this time around, swirling atmospheric synths and menacing hushed whispers of “Destroy” overlay the track, building you into the world the song conveys. The whole instrumental mix has been brought up and sounds cleaner but by no means weaker. I’m not even sure if that word can exist in the same lexicon as Youth Code. It’s still the mantra you know, the words you’ll eventually get tattooed on your arm, just with a few more adornments.

The best way to describe “Rest In Piss” is a hostage negotiation gone awry. Just sheer utter fucking chaos. A Deathpile-inspired crumbling power electronics mantra with lock step percussion and maniac lamentations shouted over the recurring sample of a small child threatening matricide.

“What Is the Answer” is Youth Code’s version of Let Your Body Learn. It wouldn’t be out of place in a night club filled with body-builders in uniforms. Driving and pulse pounding, it’s trademarked by their signature viciousness. Also appearing on the demonstration cassette, “What Is The Answer” benefits from the remixing, clearing the white noise and tape warmth allows the layer upon layer of synth work to really feel itself out.

“No Animal Escapes” may be, no, is the most interesting track on the album. Like Skinny Puppy during Bite, “No Animal Escapes” is thoroughly dedicated to the dancefloor. The whole song is relayed in a steel-wool whisper (even the samples, pulled from elsewhere, are whispered), with one singer in each ear, while musically it’s actually quite minimal. A low-end vocal choir sits front and center, sounding like the dying laments of a whale as it shifts between minors over syncopated multi-sequenced drums and chromatic bass lines serve for the beat. Youth Code deviate considerably here and thankfully it works perfectly.

“Distorted Views” acts a mediator between forms. somewhere between the former and latter. A steam release under plucked synths and bit crushed drums. The vocals are a bit further back in the mix giving the music room to work. That’s a good thing because there’s quite a bit going on here. Layers of synths creep around, with the steam-release being the bastion they circle around. It’s not a very long song but it’s the perfect concrete median between the two most veracious songs on the album.

“Sick Skinned” is one fierce fucker. A little slower then what we’ve seen thus far, with more of a marching drum than the dance floor affair we’ve been privy too. By no means less vicious though. With a (oh god here I go) seriously fat SAW wave snaking through it’s entirety and the Morrissey referencing “Sick down to my heart!” lyrics delivered with claw-hammer force, “Sick Skinned” left me the most awestruck. Also appearing on the demonstrational cassette, Sick Skinned benefits the best from the make-over.

The grand finale, Wear The Wounds,”  opens with a constant salvo bombardment drum beat, nerve-cutting high ends and flagrant disregard for any form of a fuck. The paranoia inducing vocals and intense remorseless programming recall a dystopian tech-noir landscape.  It’s an uncompromising brutal atmosphere. Metal on Metal and covered in leather. Their intensity, remarkably, never once waivers. For some reason, in electronic music there is considerable fear that an album that’s at such a high level through out will eventually wear on you. If you start at the top of the aggression ladder there’s no where to go. Somehow Youth Code manage to circumvent this. It feels like a punk album. It feels like a hardcore album. It feels like it comes from a genre where constant aggression is not seen as a misstep.

With young Americans plucking up bits from the London and Belgium EBM/New Beat scenes, in addition to Youth Code acts like Believer/Law, By Any Means Necessary, White Car and //Tense//(RIP) have created a galvanizing new scene with supreme dancability that never once, at least not to me, feels trite or overly pandering. Dangerous, sexual, neon, yes. Trite or pandering, no. Youth Code have cultivated an entirely original and a powerfully memorable album. A masterpiece of filth and aggression. Here you’re given you something you didn’t even realize was missing from your life. Forceful and violent sounding, without the pretentious heavy handed reverence many other industrial artists have. They aren’t reaching into the bag of old tricks, they’ve thrown it out the window.  To call them EBM or Industrial is too narrow, as they encompass so many surrounding genres. In our interview with them earlier this year Youth Code didn’t even really bring up any particular genre, instead saying “Everything we do musically I want to be as hard as Pantera or Earth Crisis.” Well congrats friends, you fucking nailed it.

Banner Photo Taken by Nikki Sneakers