Youth Avoiders – Defiance
A major discographic return of hope, rage, and melody from one of the key bands of the French punk underground.
Amid its broader bleakness and drowned in its own contradictions, the new year has nevertheless seen fit to “gift” us a hopeful musical surprise. Youth Avoiders, one of the most recognizable acts of the French DIY punk scene, return with a new album. Defiance is the Parisians’ third full-length release, arriving seven years after Relentless, an album that was especially loved within its niche. Despite the time gap, the band’s return carries all the hallmarks that made their sound immediately recognizable and influential within the underground, and slightly beyond it.
The 21 minutes of Defiance erupt like fireworks in a misty night. The album’s ten tracks, paired with excellent cover artwork that clearly signals its darker post-punk shades à la Wipers, French Oi!, or even bands like Canal Irreal, are mostly two minutes long or less; explosive yet strikingly memorable. Since the days of their self-titled debut, the French quartet has known how to fuse frenetic drumming, relentless high-octane melodic chords, and vocals that are both furious and dramatic. On this new album, which picks up exactly where its predecessor left off as if not a single day has passed, Youth Avoiders maintain the same unaltered approach.
Defiance, with its massive sound, thanks in no small part to its impressive production, starts exactly as it should. The opening track, “Endless Fight,” is powerful: playful guitar lines balance intensity with melancholy, and a simple yet striking vocal melody is put to perfect use. The quartet sounds as if it has signed a Faustian pact, performing in demonic form. Yet the wild, hard-edged, and emotionally charged punk of Youth Avoiders remains politically sharp. Tracks like “Fed Up With Their Lies,” the truly outstanding, and impossible not to love, “Solidarity With The Oppressed,” or the unabashedly melodic “War Manifesto” strike deeply resonant chords.
With their new record, Youth Avoiders remain exceptional, relevant, and necessary. Their ability to transmit a sense of empowerment and transcendence remains singular. Moments like “Short Fuse” sound as though they encapsulate the entire world, and the one we want to see born. On the opposite end, the desperate “Nowhere To Go” proudly roams the margins. It is striking that no track on the album falls short. The cohesion of Defiance never feels suffocating; on the contrary, the quartet’s experience and unwavering vision leave their imprint on every second of the record. As repeated listens accumulate, Defiance comes to sound like more than just a worthy addition to an impeccable discography.
At the album’s close, “Real Life Awaits Us” resonates like a farewell. Defiance is a record of DIY solidarity, a pause within the whirlwind of information and the relentless flood of new music; that, stubbornly committed to its artistic and political proposition, seeks depth. As Youth Avoiders passionately summon such a beautifully resonant noise on “This Is The Sound,” their manifesto rings out crystal clear: a defiance of our bonds, a continuous existential process. On our own terms. In the way we desire and envision. With music like this sounding until the wild dawn. A major discographic return.
Happy new year.
