Review: Yours Truly – “Self Care”

UNFD Records – 18 SEP 2020

Hayley who? Meet Mikaila and Yours Truly

I stumbled upon the sugary-sweet Aussie pop-punks Yours Truly when I accidentally came across their Triple J Radio cover of Oasis‘ “Don’t Look Back In Anger” and was quickly impressed. I’ve got to be honest though, my initial reaction was to make comparisons to Paramore or fellow Aussies Tonight Alive. Its something I really struggle with in this role, its a lot easier to compare than to judge an artist on their own merits. It’s unfair to Yours Truly, its unfair to those who they are being compared to. Luckily for me, Self Care steps out of its predecessor’s shadows and stands tall on its own.

Self Care opens strong with “Siamese Souls.”  Catchy riffs, a soaring chorus and frontwoman Mikaila Delgado shows off her range with hook laden-vocals makes promises for the rest of the LP on what the band can bring to listeners. “Composure” continues to show off impressive guitar work juxtaposed against more powerful vocals.  There is no doubt why this track was chosen as a single prior to the album release.  The song captures all of the power of early 2000s pop-punk anthems with nuanced twists.

“Together” is another super upbeat song that belies its own themes as Delgado covers mental health issues  such as anxiety and the exhaustive act of trying to pull it all together. Pull it all together is exactly what the band does though.  The chorus is an epic earworm assisted by a strong riff and brief solo from guitarist Teddie Haron. While Delgado will undoubtedly get the most press as the frontwoman, Haron is without a doubt an unsung hero of pop-punk in 2020. His guitar has a knack for noodling itself into all the right places at the right times and serves as a perfect pairing to Delgado’s delectable voice. 

“Vivid Dream” shows a timeline for Yours Truly that sees them tearing up charts and taking over radio airwaves internationally as the “do-re-mi” scales utilized in the chorus really are street signs on the road from Western Hemisphere obscurity to superstardom. This track also prominently features the abilities of second guitarist Lachlan Cronin and some of the best fills on the album from drummer Brad Cronin.

“Undersize” slows the entire thing down.  The sorta-acoustic cut will undoubtedly be the cellphone light in the air ballad that will play before the band’s encore when they start touring again. This brings listeners to the halfway point, but “Ghost” isn’t just a mid-card filler track. Another standout track, “Ghost” is an ode to the friends we no longer recognize, it’s catchy, it’s infectious, it’s perfect.

The second half doesn’t take its foot off the pedal.  It roars down the streets starting with a track that is far more fun than any song named “Funeral Home” has a right to be.  “Glass Houses” a high tempo pop punk anthem with dark undercurrents, consistent with Self Care and its messages of mental health struggles and pleading for redemption. “Half of Me” shows off more emotiveness than previously on display.  The change of pace doesn’t take away from the flow of the album, but it does feel more geared toward the next Punk Goes Acoustic iteration rather than this record. Album closer “Heartsleeve” recaptures the feeling of the rest of Self Care, showing off Delgado’s vocal range and her bandmates’ ability to weave a story behind the music. 

Lazy writers will continue to insist on comparisons with a certain female-fronted outfit from The Volunteer State but this is not Part-two-amore, this is our Yours Truly. If they can keep this pace and agility in their songwriting, future pop-punk bands with powerful female vocals will be unfairly placed in the looming shadow of Yours Truly.