Yacht Club Swap Hardcore for Sun-Kissed Pop, with 'Ocean View Unit, 2012 - 2015' (album review) - SNACK: Music, film, arts and culture magazine for Scotland

    Yacht Club Swap Hardcore for Sun-Kissed Pop, with ‘Ocean View Unit, 2012 – 2015’ (album review)

    A black and white promotional photo of the band Yacht Club. The standing member has long wavy hair, a wide-brimmed hat, arm tattoos, and wears a dark tank top. He stands with his hands on his hips behind the second member, who is seated in the foreground with short hair and a dark tank top. Both are looking directly at the camera.

    They say never judge a book by its cover and that sentiment can also ring true with a band’s press release. Yacht Club are Ben Cook and James Matthew Seven, the former being a member in two notable hardcore punk bands – Fucked Up, and No Warning. So, to find that this was an 80s inspired synth-pop record came as a bit of a surprise.

    As the album title suggests this release is made up of tracks released between 2012 and 2015. Yacht Club had every intention of turning these into an album in 2016 however other commitments shelved that idea, until now.

    Opener, ‘Tropicana’ provides a sun kissed slice of guitar pop goodness and feels like it would be a welcome addition to Grand Theft Auto’s Vice City soundtrack, set in 1986 Miami.

    With a catchy guitar hook and a Wham!-esque chorus this will have you reaching for a Pina Colada and shouting ‘taps aff’ in a heartbeat.

    The summer vibes continue with lead single ‘Flash’, a euphoric and dreamy dancefloor classic in the making. While this track continues with the 80s influence there is also a 70s feel with the guitar riffs having a Chic / Nile Rodgers sound to them.

    ‘Cold Wind From Fools’ is a swooning disco ballad with Cook’s vocals evoking Prefab Sprout frontman Paddy McAloon. It’s a slightly softer tempo to the rest of the album and works well as a closing track.

    With a release date in June there is a good chance our dose of sunshine for the year will be over by the time this is out, however dust out your dad’s old pastel suit and Hawaii shirt and give it a spin regardless.

    A layered, double-exposure portrait of the band Yacht Club. On the left foreground is the member with short hair, wearing a dark jacket and a checkered scarf. Overlaid on the right is the member with long hair, wearing sunglasses and a colorful paisley scarf. The two figures are semi-transparent, blending into a background scene of a wooden park bench and trees.

    Ocean View Unit, 2012 – 2015  is out on 12th June on Errol’s Hot Wax

    The five members of the band Jutebox posing on a narrow, enclosed staircase with blue wooden walls. The band members are staggered at different heights on the steps. The member in the front left wears a black leather jacket over a graphic tee, while the member in the front right wears a black patterned shirt with his arm tattoos visible. Framed posters are partially visible on the wall behind them.The five members of the band Jutebox posing on a narrow, enclosed staircase with blue wooden walls. The band members are staggered at different heights on the steps. The member in the front left wears a black leather jacket over a graphic tee, while the member in the front right wears a black patterned shirt with his arm tattoos visible. Framed posters are partially visible on the wall behind them.
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