Brit pop makes a glittering, gothic, nostalgic comeback in YUNGBLUD’s latest single- and yes, that‘s Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne in the music video.
The pop punk revival is well underway. From Avril Lavigne and Machine Gun Kelly’s unsurprising alliance to the wealth of pop punk covers on YouTube, it’s no shocker that in the age of (post?) pandemic inertia, nostalgia sells.
Therefore it should also be no surprise that when the 00’s blink-182 soundalikes grow bored of the four-chord anthem, they will turn their attention back to the treasure trove of generation-defining rock subgenres, rifling in its depths for the next great resurrection.
YUNGBLUD, one of the most unique, dynamic artists of modern alt rock, has caught a new scent first.
Aptly titled The Funeral, YUNGBLUD's newest single is a bare-faced homage to the legends of British rock n roll.
Gloomy lyrics are sewn up tight against infectious melodies, a tongue-in-cheek juxtaposition which always did wonders for Morrissey and Joy Division. Billy Idol’s Dancing With Myself is another clear influence, replete with danceable drum beats and loud, driving bass lines galore.
The music video depicts Dom rising from the dead to a funeral party of one, with the godfather of heavy metal himself Ozzy Osbourne presiding over his corpse, wondering just where everyone has gone. Striking blues and reds stand out against a largely monochromatic palette, adding all the campy goth glamour of the 80s vampire aesthetic as popularised by goth punk stalwarts Bauhaus.
Rarely a vocalist suits nearly every genre he turns his attention to, but with his unapologetically strong Northern accent punctuating each word with the theatrical bite so idiosyncratic of the genre itself, it just works flawlessly.
It works so flawlessly, in fact, that it’s almost a shame. In nailing the swagger of late 70s and 80s Brit pop, YUNGBLUD risks losing his sound in the mix.
The scuzzy sound of Brit rock has such a unique sound- one clearly imitable when done right- but that sound arose from a specific historical context.
In attempting to separate the music from its roots, paring away the messy socio-political landscape of late-century British working class angst, YUNGBLUD risks a track which feels devoid of heart.
That being said, as far as imitations go, this is one of the cleanest and most integrous I've ever heard.
Instead of creating dead-on imitations of beloved musicians we already have, it would be interesting to see Dom branch off into a new vein and work his genre-defying magic.
By Jasmine GW