Young Kato's 'Don't Wait 'Til Tomorrow' Will Thrust Band Into Limelight

My first run in with Young Kato was at a festival last summer. I'd heard of "Drink, Dance, Play" before but beyond that I knew very little about the band. They're energy was endearing, and a few of their songs had a nice feel to them, but honestly, very few people had heard of these boys at the time. Skip forward 8 months and they're ready to release their debut album 'Don't Wait 'Til Tomorrow', one I have high hopes for.

 

They kick things off with "Sunshine", an unsurprisingly summery symphony of their signature pop/synth style, with the added bonus of some horns and a catchy whistle to tie things off. The first two songs on the album have pretty strong "single power", with, I hear, this one being featured on Made in Chelsea.

The frustratingly catchy "Drink, Dance, Play" has already proved popular, with a punchy instrumental and Two Door Cinema Club like vocals. The chant of "We drink and we dance and we dance and we play", although a bit cliche and corny, does add considerably to the song, and I imagine makes the live performance much more interactive.

These two songs are great, but it's after this that I feel as though Young Kato really refine their style on songs such as "Remedy", which seems more unique and almost nostalgic. The less pop style approach starts to give the album a shape and purpose. This track seems to undergo a transition from this refined style a at the start that is so prominent on this album to a rocky inspired finish.

This almost 80's inspired sound is also present on songs such as the verse of "Children of the stars". It again adds to the albums style and shows more variation in Young Kato's music. Some of the lyrics are a bit shallow and unoriginal "live fast, die young, don't give a fuck" but the catchy rifts means this is easily overlooked and to be quite honest, I doubt this will hamper the success of the album overall.

There's enough variation for the album to keep you hooked. Lights has a similar "anthem" feel to the tracks at the start of the album, but retains the style the band seemed to have worked on throughout the earlier stages of this project.

Yes, see's even more variation to the Young Kato style, with a Coldplay-esque instrumental, playing below front man Tommy Wright's soft vocals. As the record progresses, little treasures like this song become more frequent, despite some of the lyrics feeling a little lacklustre towards the final stages.

Despite this tail off towards the end, it's a strong and impressive debut from Young Kato, through a record where they've clearly worked hard to define their style and find where they slot into the already crowded and competitive market. Keep an eye an out for them on the festival line ups they will no doubt figure heavily on this summer, as well as new tour dates throughout the year.

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Words by Thomas Schofield

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