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ALBUM REVIEW: "You, Me And Everything In Between." by Belle Haven

   Post-hardcore is a strange genre; so many bands and records in the genre are so inherently of its time and quickly become indicative of that particular period, and then those tropes quickly become "cliche", whatever the hell that means in this genre. There are so many mid-2000s post-hardcore records that sound almost exactly the same, and equally as many later records that sound equally as similar, that I'm generally pretty hesitant going into a new post-hardcore record. That's not to say post-hardcore is inherently bad - just listen to any Underoath record after 2004 or the new Norma Jean record - but I do think that more often than not a post-hardcore record written to specifically be a post-hardcore record is immediately hampered by the restrictions and inherent missteps everyone's already heard a thousand times. It's when these elements are brought together with something more honest and genuine outside of genre conventions that something special can happen.
   Belle Haven have done just that on their second album You, Me And Everything In Between, an album that fits within the well worn boundaries of the genre but offer so much more than the majority of similar records. Having seen the band twice and experienced the insane energy and freedom of expression they bring to their performance, it's fantastic to hear this translated better into an album than their debut album Everything Ablaze (which was a solid but flawed debut). It's frantic, energetic, not overly polished and does a much better job of capturing the band's live personality (really similar to the difference between Underoath's They're Only Chasing Safety and Define The Great Line). I was floored by how much better this record is compared to their debut - they have matured and developed hugely and it really shows all over YMEB. It's more cohesive, tighter in its focus and more diverse in its sound, and has more than a handful of insanely catchy hooks. Lead singer David Vernon delivers an incredibly dynamic performance, effortlessly transitioning from screams to cleans and doing a great job of filling the space between the two, something you rarely hear in this style of music. I won't go into detail about the lyrical topics because that's for you to explore when you listen, but the album is nicely tied together thematically and has more than a few emotional highlights.
   YMEB is a fantastic sophomore effort from a really promising young band that are taking all the right steps. Bruisingly heavy, melodic, emotionally draining and catchy - often all in the same song - it's a dynamic and exciting post-hardcore record making the wait for new music from Underoath a bit more bearable.

   Favourite Songs: "Selfmade", Burn The Witch, Egophobia and Me.

    Least Favourite Song: The Carving Knife

   Rating: A

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