Young Love

Do you love pop music, like, sugary pop music, but can’t stand all of the pop-star nonsense involved? Do you like to dance, but you can’t stand mainstream rap? Maybe you should be rooting for Young Love, the post-Recover dance-pop project from Dan Keyes.

I’m going to be very honest: This record is pure pop. There is no other way to describe it. Much more poppy then peers Men, Women & Children and Head Automatica. It’s really hard to justify even calling this record rock. It has much more in common with Justin Timberlake than Recover. However, it is undeniably fun to listen to, even though a single spin may put your “punk rock cred” in question.

Tracks like “Discotech,” “Give Up,” and “Too Young to Fight It,“ among others, establish a dance pop trend that Young Love thrives on throughout Too Young to Fight It. However, simple dance pop is not the only thing Too Young to Fight It has to offer. “Closer to You” is a beautiful pop song with a repeating riff scheme that sounds straight out of a U2 record, and I mean that in the most positive sense possible. Meanwhile, “Nameless” along with “Take It or Leave It” are the closest the record ever comes to pop-punk, though they are still totally synth-heavy pop songs. “Tell Me” is the best post-split Backstreet Boys single on the market. “Underneath the Night Sky” offers a stellar, dark, yet cool pop song, reminiscent of the ever present All-American Rejects single “It Ends Tonight.” “Close Your Eyes” closes out the album with a style similar to “Closer to You,” though it also kind of sounds like if As Tall as Lions suddenly became obsessed with dance pop.

Is this record going to make any top ten lists? I doubt it. I do think it’s a pretty honest record though, which is pretty uncommon in the pop world. Maybe it’s a reflection of the background of the band. Regardless, Young Love is probably one of the more accessible and interesting dance acts to arise from the punk/hardcore world in recent years. I think this record could be a multi-platinum record with proper promotion. “Tell Me” could storm Top 40 with no effort -- and you know what, I don’t think I would mind listening to a top 40 radio with Young Love, either. Too Young to Fight It is a solid debut from a promising pop outfit...just don't come in expecting much rock.