the heys

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The Heys, Youngbored&broke (4 West)

The Heys make no effort to conceal their love of the music that influenced them. Their debut Youngbored&broke will inevitably see some comparisons to Arctic Monkeys, which isn't too far off base: The Heys have the same melodic sense, much of the same muscle and something of the same energy. The difference is that the Heys sound grown-up, if not a little bit grizzled

So far as influences, one of the most evident is Damon Albarn's on frontman Tom Flynn (see the anthemic "Brightenupmyday.") Aside from this and Pete Townshend's stamp on almost all guitar lines, The Jam may have the most tangible influence here. However, The Heys have too much interest in their guitars to ever be pure missionaries of blue-eyed soul, so the Paul Weller lineage has to do with the huge power-pop hooks and the veneer of cynicism that causes this record to shine. "Elbowculture," a sharp-edged lament of a selfish society, is the lynchpin of this interpretation, while "Pressure" is an attack aimed at wasteful, empty nights and the ways we choose to try to dodge internalized turmoil. It's not Rimbaud, but it's honest, and its "ch-ch-changes" inspired yarn over heavy bass and OkGo-on-steroids guitars is irresistible.

In fact, what soon becomes apparent is that The Heys have studied and assimilated the whole of infectious Britpop: the wide open chord-riffing that opens the title track recalls Pulp, as do many of the lyrical themes (though it should be noted that Flynn, cognizant of the perils of trying to be Jarvis Cocker, avoids melodrama). When the band gets light-hearted, they can lay out sunny vocal harmonies and bouncy, hand-clapping bridges right alongside Supergrass ("Don't," "Getiton," "Scene"). They avoid the moody ways of Oasis (though they come close on "Fridaynight") and embrace the bittersweet sneer of London Suede ("Arms&legs,""Hey") while managing to inject the album with their own ripped power-pop ("Itain'tWotusay," the shimmering ballad "Breakdown").

The lyrics can edge toward heavy-handedness, but the heart is most definitely in the right place. If The Heys are just borrowing ideas to bide the time, they'll be gone by next year. But if what we're dealing with here is an upwardly mobile band, all hell could break loose the next time these guys enter the studio. – Chris Henderson