Band of the Week: You, Me, and Everyone We Know

[June 22 - 28]

You, Me, and Everyone We Know
Sounds Like: Indie-Pop / Powerpop
Drinking Buddies: Say Anything, Panic At The Disco, All Time Low

Synopsis: "Ain't it a shame we're so young and insane?"

Makes You Want To...: Sing; Rock out; Break it down.
[Myspace]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is You, Me, and Everyone We Know.


The pop-punk genre is a fickle one. It's always been heavily populated. Honestly, it takes two of the strongest points of rock music, and mixes them together like some sort of hybrid musical milkshake: loud, fast, rebellious, electric-focused instrumentation plus catchy hooks and choruses, bright attitudes, and very lyrically centered songs make for a unique, extremely maleable style. pop-punk has taking its bruises as the biggest names (Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, etc.) and friends began going Hollywood on their friends, but it's called "pop" for a reason, right?

Regardless, the one thing a genre needs for progression is evolution. The music as a whole, from all artists, needs a maturing, and the artists need an overhaul. There are plenty of pop-punkers that are total blah-bubblepop-filler (sorry, The Cab, I'm looking at you). But as specific musical tendencies find their ways into place, some uniqueness is budding back into the genre in some very colourful forms. Say Anything, Neversaynever!, Midtown, Danger Radio, and a slew of other creative souls are bringing a little something unique back into pop-punk by rececitating the uniqueness in the music.

There's one other band engergizing pop-punk presently, and they are known as You, Me, and Everyone We Know. Inspiring their moniker from the independent film of the extremely similar title, You, Me, and Everyone We Know breaks it down with a distinct, vibrant pop-punk aesthetic that draws from more sources than I could put my finger on. Listen closely to "Dirty Laundry" or "I Can Get Up Now," and you will hear the biggest names in contemporary pop-rock in sleek, refined, musical medley, shaken not stirred. Singing like Say Anything, playing with a bit of Hellogoodbye and Starting Line, maybe a dash of Plain White T's or Relient K, add a little fairy dust and/or rock n' roll spirit, and you'll suddenly find yourself listening to You, Me, and Everyone We Know.

Don't take me wrong though, it's not that You, Me, and Everyone We Know deserves to be sternly called a copycat. For all the inspiration they've sought in their peers, You, Me, and Everyone We Know stand alone. Their tunes are completely original, eclectic, and silly - as to be expected - with the taste of sarcasm, geek, and romance lapping all over your audio pallet. This is the stuff that Warped Tour has been truly starved for until You, Me, and Everyone We Know's arrival on the scene: a concoction of everything wonderful in the genre, yet a perfect evolutionary pinacle that blares away with audibly sweet melodies that bring you back like an emphatic addict to the sound.


What's even more exciting is that these guys are completely ind-dee-pendent. That's right, they have no label; talk about homegrown musical cooking! So to speak, anyway. You, Me, And Everyone We Know have released two albums independently through their musical career: their debut Party for the Grown and Sexy, and their 2008 sophomore release, So Young, So Insane, and they're both filled to the brim with so grown, so sexy, so young, and of course so insane songs that will make your heart beat and soul smile. But at $12 an album, music may seem steep in these troubled economic times. Never fret, for you can catch the entirety Party for the Grown and Sexy entirely for free on You, Me, and Everyone We Know's Last.fm - just get an account (like mine) - which, frankly, any music lover should have already - and you're set!

But maybe you're more the type to get more intimate with your favourite musical artists. Well, maybe at least check them out in person! Fortunately, you'll have no better opportunity to do so with You, Me, and Everyone We Know this summer, as they are one of the many talented artists to grace the stages at Warped Tour this year. Tell me that's not exciting, I dare you! Of course, you can visit the boys on Myspace, or even on their aforementioned Last.fm. But You, Me, and Everyone We Know is definitely a group you're not going to want to miss. Peace, readers, and happy listening.