You, Me, Everybody - Album Review: Southern Sky
Deep within the matryoshka doll that is the country genre is
a bluegrass doll in cosplay. Sitting on the fire escape of a rundown apartment
building, dry buck wheat stem between its teeth, and a rock band shirt, progressive
bluegrass is the genre that ran away from its home in the Appalachians and fell
in with a different crowd. Appropriate then, to find it all the way down here
beneath our southern skies, as far from home as one could possibly be.
Safe in the hands of local practitioners You, Me, Everybody, bluegrass may not be the same kid that left their mountain town, but they haven’t forgotten their roots.
With their sweet vocal harmonies, and call-and-answer style instrumental licks, You, Me, Everybody’s first full-length album Southern Sky is the sojourn through forgotten regions of the human soul.
It may not be appreciated by Bill Monroe bluegrass traditionalists, but their kids are going to love it. Too upbeat for blues, too structured for jazz, yet taking elements from both and adding a smattering of classic pop sensibilities, the sweet musical tapestry You, Me, Everybody weaves is a nostalgia-inducing reminder of the good ol’ sounds of yester-year.
Exhibiting more talent and emotional depth than the Instagram-influencing kids with laptops that dominate the charts, Southern Sky is never going to make waves in the mainstream, but in the eyes of closet hipsters, folk enthusiasts, and their hippy-denigrating grandparents, this is a golden release.
If you’re looking for a mid-week pick me up, look no further. Five stars of five.
You still have enough time to see You, Me, Everybody live in Whangateau, Katikati, and Hamilton on Feb 18, 19, and 20, 2021, respectively. More details on www.yme.nz. With this new album, there are now 11 new songs in their repertoire, compared to the 6 last time they took their shiny eyed New Grass sound on tour. That’s nearly double the value.
You can find Southern Sky on the You, Me, Everybody Bandcamp.
About You, Me, Everybody
Referred to as New Zealand’s first Bluegrass Supergroup, the excitement around their inception saw them play their first live gig as openers for The Felice Brothers as part of the Americana fest at Auckland’s Tuning Fork. They recorded their EP a week later and in February 2020, You, Me, Everybody released their self-titled debut EP, which reached number 13 in the New Zealand album charts. This debut also saw them named as finalist for the Best NZ Folk Artist, 2021 in the Aotearoa Music Awards. They were chosen as one of four international Bluegrass bands to be featured in the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Leadership Bluegrass forum, showcasing a performance by the band directly after a presentation by Grammy award winning, Sarah Jarosz. Their first full length album, Southern Sky, was released in January 2021, which again debuted in the top 20 of the NZ album charts.
Now in 2023 they feature in Netflix’s Sweet Tooth, opening Episode 4 performing their song Stranger as the inhabitants of Factory Town celebrate the discovery of the cure of ‘the sick’.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for You, Me, Everybody
Other Reviews By Peter-James Dries
Samuel Philip Cooper - Album Review: Journey to Sobriety
01 Jun 2023 // by Peter-James Dries
Samuel Philip Cooper sits on the brink of social media stardom, with videos of his belting out pop music piano covers from behind a pair of thick spectacles racking up views and likes on Insta. Little do any of the mindless doom scrollers swiping through his reels know, but percolating behind his eye brows is the very key to their very salvation.
Read More...
Raw Collective - Single Review: Simple Times
09 May 2023 // by Peter-James Dries
I’m not here to list off Raw Collective’s pedigree. Where they come from, where they’ve been, where they are, and where they’re going.
Read More...
Coridian - Album Review: Hava
07 Mar 2023 // by Peter-James Dries
Journalism’s meant to be objective, right? No playing favourites.
Read More...
Silk Cut - Album Review: Our Place In The Stars
22 Feb 2023 // by Peter-James Dries
Like Prometheus nicking fire, so too has Silk Cut’s Andrew Thorne stolen from the gods. In a figurative sense of course.
Read More...
Shadowcaster - Single Review: Friends
18 Dec 2022 // by Peter-James Dries
I sometimes wonder how performers choose their stage names. Is Trent Graham, Shadowcaster’s ringleader, taller than average?
Read More...
0800 Belly Up - Single Review: Kick Ons
28 Nov 2022 // by Peter-James Dries
If you feel you would enjoy punk rock better if they showered more often and put a bit more effort in, then this is the band for you. If you love shouting back at bands when they yell lyrics at you, then this is the song for you.
Read More...
The Treasury - EP Review: Shimmer / I'll Return From On The Sea
29 Oct 2022 // by Peter-James Dries
I get a lot of pretty obscure releases thrown my way. For every Six60 single, there are fifty songs you will never hear, from artists you have never heard of.
Read More...
The Hopkinsville Goblins - Album Review: Bite the Wax Tadpole
14 Sep 2022 // by Peter-James Dries
The Hopkinsville Goblins is always a challenging review. If you want it done right, you really need some hard-broiled journalist from a bygone era on the job, not some gumshoe with a grudge like me.
Read More...
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- CUPID (TWIN VERSION)
Fifty Fifty - PEOPLE
Libianca - LAST NIGHT
Morgan Wallen - DAYLIGHT
David Kushner - FLOWERS
Miley Cyrus - KILL BILL
SZA - CALM DOWN
Rema And Selena Gomez - BOY'S A LIAR PT. 2
PinkPantheress And Ice Spice - DIE FOR YOU (REMIX)
The Weeknd And Ariana Grande - SAY YES TO HEAVEN
Lana Del Rey
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
