Light You Up – Broken Jaw EP

Birmingham based Light You Up, known as LYU until earlier this year, have chosen 2012 to shine as they release their debut EP under this guise. After touring with an impressive catalogue of bands including A Loss for Words, Set Your Goals, Jimmy Eat World, Anti-Flag & The Story So Far, the band have taken no time to rest and have worked solidly to bring us this EP – and what an EP it is.

New vocalist Tom Napier brings a whole new element to the band, with a soulful and husky voice than carries the lyrics to new heights. This is noticeable almost instantly when the EP kicks in with Broken Jaw, with its sunny yet harder edge and beautifully executed vocals, in a similar style to the band State Champs. The song repeatedly slows down to a tinkling of chords, then a straight up crash of instruments, making you move as if infected by the beat.

This song blends effortlessly into Foxfire, which starts with harmonious guitars before pounding drums kick the song into full pelt, picking up speed until abruptly stopping to accentuate Napier’s vocals. The track has the ability to throw a listener out of their comfort zone – no sooner are you getting into it then the song suddenly morphs into something slower, quieter, mute or harder in the blink of an eye, or ear.

Lifebox slows the EP right down, with acoustic guitars and beautiful vocals and lyrics making the song soar, before reaching a slow crescendo abruptly, slowly down to chords and repeat. Both haunting and beautifully executed, it leads into the storming closing track Without You Here, ending the EP just like it enters: loudly and proudly, showing the benefits of all their hard work.

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