"What we do is no revolution, we create music for us and if that resonates with other people in whatever way, that’s great."
With a career spanning decades, You Am I are one of Australia’s most defining rock bands. The four-piece have added an anticipated 11th album The Lives of Others to their catalogue of rock hits, which guitarist Andy Kent says is ‘very much a You Am I record’.
Describing the making of this album as, ‘a time for reflection’, Kent adds that the band were never in the same room together creating the record, with members separated by border closures and lockdown rules. ‘We basically started making it, took our time, swapped files around… and it took shape.’
And that it did. ‘The Waterboy’ was the first single released, which garnered praise as one of their best singles yet. It’s easy to figure out why – a catchy, rhythmic guitar and a punky chorus build up certain to pump up a mosh pit.
‘Manliness’ is a reflection on masculinity, bursting with poetically simple lyricism and husky acoustic guitar. Andy notes a ‘darkness’ to this track, which comes from avoiding the ‘standard guitar and normal thing’ to create a song more interpersonal and melodically laid back.
It wouldn’t be a You Am I record without some 90s rock influence. Across tracks like ‘Rosedale Redux’ and ‘We All Went Deaf Overnight’, a driving mix of guitar, fantastically complementing drums and Tim Rogers’ timeless, raspy vocals incites the scene of driving down the freeway, stereo on full blast and hard wind blowing through your hair.
The departing tune, ‘The Lives Of Others’ is a rock-heavy track illuminating with impressive drums and a staggering guitar beat that demands attention. This is the track Andy is most excited to play in their upcoming shows, describing the tune as a ‘big, weighty, heavy’ song, not in aggressiveness per se, but in the insurmountable energy that erupts when the band play the tune altogether.
Andy mentions that ‘a lot of our songs, purely because there are so many of them, put memories in people.’ You Am I’s ‘The Lives of Others’ is not an evolution in their music career, but a needed continuation that reminds us classic Australian rock hasn’t disappeared anywhere.
The Lives of Others is available to stream, download and buy now. Grab tickets to You Am I’s upcoming Australian shows here.
