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Album Review: Young Rebel Set – Won’t Get Up Again EP

Stockton-on-Tees septet Young Rebel Set will be self-releasing a new EP in early May. ‘Won’t Get Up Again’ is an interesting, varied collection of tunes. The first half could be called ‘the stadium favourites’. The title track is country with a slight pop edge, which explains their MySpace citing Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan as influences.

Better still is ‘Fall Hard’, which is less country and has more stadium rock potential, with Matt Chipcase’s vocals practically begging you to sing along. Don’t shoot the messenger, but I honestly think this one sounds a bit like it could have been from Britpoppers Ride, and even more like the earliest Hootie and the Blowfish singles, and you all know how huge they were for a moment in time in the mid-‘90s. For their sake, I hope Young Rebel Set have more longevity that both.

If the first half is for singing in stadiums, then the second half are ‘tunes for the fireside’. ‘Bagatelle’ literally means ‘trifle’ in French, and the term has been used by classical composers for years to describe a short piece of music, usually mellow. Oddly, this is the longest track of the four (over 5 minutes) and if you’re looking for something more rousing, this can be a bit grating in its repetitiveness.

‘Rosie’ is a bouncy little folk number about the village bicycle. The story could have been told in a very cruel way but somehow in Chipcase’s winsome voice, you’re actually cheering on poor Rosie in the end. You can watch a stripped down Young Rebel Set (meaning only four members instead of seven, with vocals, three guitars, and a harmonica) playing an acoustic version of the song below. With instruments in Young Rebel Set’s deft hands, I’m definitely interested in hearing more from this band. With any luck, they’ll soon become the biggest thing to come out of Teesside since Bruce Thomas of Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

9/10

Young Rebel Set are currently on a UK tour through the beginning of May. The ‘Won’t Get Up Again’ EP will be released 02 May. The band has promised on their official Web site that a pre-order link will be made available soon.