Young Rebel Set’s debut album, Curse Our Love, is enticing and promising for the quintet. With their Mumford And Sons styled instrumentals matched with Matthew Chipchase’s Bruce Springsteen like lyrics and voice, the five-piece is clearly a powerhouse. Right off the bat, “Lion’s Mouth” kick-starts the disc with groovy basslines and strong yet breezy guitars matched with deep vocals. Chipchase makes a heartfelt confession to a lover during “If I Was,” where the narrator goes on about different things that he could’ve done differently and so on and so forth. Despite the fairly down lyrics, the song has a sort of hopeful feel to it through the airy guitar and percussion.
The album, as a whole, is a powerful collection of songs—however, “Bagatelle” is a tear-jerking cut of loss and heartbreak. The painful track is by far the strongest on the release, not just because of its content but performance. “Precious Days” adds a country twang to the album, with the bluesy harmonica and knee-slapping plucking and percussion. It’s impossible to not at least bop around to the catchy jam that starts to close out the disc. In contrast to the previous upbeat number, the closer, “Billy Died,” ends Curse Our Love on a pretty depressing note. Although dramatic, the finale lacks in the passion and isn’t as strong as the other pieces on the release.
Even with the average final song, Young Rebel Set has a way to tell stories that isn’t cliché and they’ll steal your heart all while breaking it as well. The five-piece blurs the line where folk, indie and a bit of pop come together—making Curse Our Love an easy and tireless listen.
In A Word: Mighty
