The Heart. The Head. The End. is the debut full-length from the Toronto rock quintet Poor Young Things. It is composed of 13 tracks that are well produced, energetic and catchy. Kicking off the album is the four-minute “Dress It Up.” With multiple guitars and vocals blending together, the band’s strengths can be quickly identified. “Trophy Kids” and “Black Lightning” display the group’s ability to build up and let loose, causing melodic and rhythmic guitars to catch the listener’s attention. Drummer Konrad Commisso and bassist Scott Burke add to the rhythm in the background, providing a wall of sound for multiple vocals to lay on top during the chorus. Commisso and Burke hold the rhythm and set the tone on the rest of the tracks. “Revolver” has its fair share of snare rolls and snare-cymbal beats, allowing for a big sounding chorus. This technique is also used on “Fire.”
Matt Fratpietro’s vocals reminded me a bit of Brian Fallon’s from Gaslight Anthem. This resemblance stood out to me specifically on songs like “Strength In Numbers,” “Sign Of The Times” and “Given The Situation.” “The State” is my favorite number because of its strong resemblance to high-energy, anthemic rock. Guitars kick off “Transformer” and lead up until the verse with the same strategy used in “The State.” Backing vocals follow the lead, and provide a chant-like effect near the end. “Warpaint” features infectious guitar melodies and the power chords lay the foundation for the vocals to take charge during the chorus.
This is an impressive debut album with great anthemic rock tracks that reminded me of Gaslight Anthem. There is a lot of energy throughout the record provided by the drums and bass, with help from the melodic and rhythmic guitar parts.
In A Word: Anthemic
