The latest album by You Me & Kyle is such a fun ride, full of a wild, life-of-the-party personality that made each song on this short delight a jubilant and colorful musical foray shock-full of gritty riffs and witty lyrics.
Based in the creative haven that is Columbus, Ohio, You Me & Kyle is an alternative rock duo with their roots in North Carolina. Formed by Henry Hutton and Tony Sharpe, a musical pair who helped found The Executives, a North Carolina-based rock outfit, You Me & Kyle have a sound that’s rowdy and semi-manic, while retaining a quirky edge to their scruffy arrangements and involved song writing. On They promised us there would be flying cars, their latest studio adventure featuring 8 oddly structured and addictive tunes, the duo are brandishing a glistening collection of overdriven guitars, playing a refreshing plethora of riffs, arpeggios, lead lines, and more, backed by a consistently supportive rhythm section, all working alongside the dusty vocals that are immediately gripping.
With a clear experimental edge, the duo’s songwriting masterfully straddles the line between concise and intentional crispiness, and hectic, barely held together chaos. While the instrumental lines are mostly tight and neat, the scruffy production and characterful vocals help offset the balance with a twisted touch of mayhem. The dry production might be the album’s most distinctive sonic feature, alongside the doubled vocals that singlehandedly give the songs their organic flow and unique edge. The fantastic songwriting on all the songs on They promised us there would be flying cars can be summed up as catchy and simplistic. Letting the novel instrumental lines and tight performances do the heavy lifting, the songs on the album are simply written, but with nuanced arrangements and a litany of cool lines that make the minimal chord loops readily shine through each of the album’s songs.
All in all, They promised us there would be flying cars by You Me & Kyle is an outstanding listen that will leave a mark on lovers of alternative rock acts such as Green Day, Queens of The Stone Age, and Interpol with its wealth of fantastic guitar parts. The album’s best moments include ‘Flying Cars’ with its driving pace, ‘June 23’, a more subdued and colored cut, the melodic ‘Through A Window’, and the closing cut ‘Let You Down’. A worthwhile listen that left us waiting for more from this creative duo.
