Decrepit Youths have never been ones to play by the rules, and their latest release, "Sound Of The Underground," is no exception. The six-piece adopt the famous Girls Aloud chart-topper and unmistakably turn their sound from a pop anthem everyone knows into something dark and dramatic. People who loved the original may do a double-take at first, but this is no mere cover, it’s a statement of purpose.
Decrepit Youths are in complete creative control. The track slams ahead with a snarling, riff-infused foundation, complete with synth detail and distortion-smeared sounds, peeling and twisting the pop melody into a grizzled alt-rocker. There is the band’s signature electricity, frenetic and calculated at once, pumping through every note, lending the track a compelling sense of tipping toward chaos. By taking something that listeners already know and love, Decrepit Youths bridge the divide between fans of unabridged alt-rock and bazillion-selling pop audiences.
"Sound Of The Underground" is not a tribute but a renaissance. By taking a familiar track and smashing it, twisting it, then rebuilding it with absolutely no regard for anyone’s precious attachments to its original form, the band demonstrates its commitment to fearless music-making and ability to make any song its own. By the time the last note has long faded, you’re struck with the realization that Decrepit Youths aren’t merely covering songs, they’re putting their big stompy boots down and building a musical universe of their own.