Album Review: You, Me and Everyone We Know - Some Things Just Don't Wash Out

After releasing two very well received EPs ('Party For The Grown and Sexy', 'So Young and Insane'), collaborating with Max Bemis of Say Anything ('I Can Get Back Up Now') and touring the US alongside Forgive Durden and The Color Fred as well as their recent headlining tour with Breathe Carolina and Stay. You Me and Everyone We Know managed to stay unsigned for 4 years but stay above the radar, their current effort, 'Some Things Just Don't Wash Out' was released after signing to Doghouse which has housed bands such as Mansions and Say Anything in the past, the question on every message board user was will this band still be good with a label behind them?

'Shock and Awe' starts out with a bluesy riff followed by, lead singer, Ben Liebsch's, the track then later congregates into a swarm of horns and backing vocals in the background whilst Liebsch spits venom about different bands; "And up to this point I think we've been pretty cool about losing tours to bands with only half of our pool" before seguing into 'I'm Losing Weight For You', a short angst ridden song with a punk edge. The transition between the songs is an incredibly smooth transition between two different songs of a similar subject matter.

When a song has been playing over and over again on your iPod for the past 4 years, is there much point in redoing it and placing it on your debut album? The new version of 'Livin' Th' Dream' includes some of the best parts that we found on 'Party For The Grown and Sexy' but also adds new gang vocals as well as a chorus in the place of what used used to be an instrumental break. At first it seems a little bit strange but you will get used to it and love this version a lot more.

'Bootstraps', the first song released from this album is a very optimistic song despite it's pessimistic undertones. Ben Libsch mourns about his weight again, but this time in a very tongue-in-cheek way; "back to the couch where I'll binge on doritos, where I'll grow so stagnant that i breed mosquitos". This song was a perfect way to showcase the recurring themes of the album as well as presenting the band's 60's pop inspired sound.

'Some Things Don't Wash Out' catches its breathe on 'The Next 20 Minutes' which gives off a roomy atmosphere and sounds as if it were spontaneously recorded in someone's bathroom late one night. Liebsch's rich vocals are countered by short dixieland inspired horn motifs.

Despite numerous listens, there are a couple songs however I feel fall short of the mark that the band set on their first EP. After numerous listens, I still can't get into the simplistic chorus of 'A Little Bit More' or the general cheese of the closing song 'Moon, Roll Me Away' which by the end, the entire band is shouting "I know the flow, so I say; Moon, roll me away". The instrumentation is perfect but I feel like the lyrics as well as the harsh vocals (at one point, someone even shouts whichly completely kills the mood set in the first 20 seconds of the song) kind of spoil the song as a whole.

The bands decision to write brand new material for this album shows that they are growing from apart from their familiars and developing upon their sound as well as lyricist Ben Liebsch's prolific nature.

4/5

'Some Things Don't Wash Out' by You, Me and Everyone We Know is available now through Doghouse Records.

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George Gadd