In recent years, there has been a British invasion into the alternative scene. English metalcore giants Bring Me The Horizon are now selling out respectable venues across the United States, and Surrey alternative rock quintet You Me At Six are poised to do the same. Their newest record, Sinners Never Sleep, finds You Me At Six (vocalist Josh Franceschi, rhythm guitarist Max Heyler, lead guitarist Christ Miller, bassist Matt Barnes, and drummer Daniel Flint) at the cusp of alternative-radio glory. Alas, as a whole, the group’s third full-length is hit-or-miss.

“Let me tell you a story about a boy and a girl // A very different version that you’ve ever heard // Ok, so I’m lying but all I’m trying to say // This isn’t about the one that got away,” Franceschi croons on the first verse of “The Dilemma” in an all-to prophetic mode. Lyrically, Sinners Never Sleep can be summed up in that first verse. Of the twelve tracks, only three differentiate from themes revolving around relationships. Let’s be real for a quick second: Franceschi and Co. are no William Shakespeare. Sinners Never Sleep, lyrically, is a satisfactory, yet ultimately mediocre, offering. It is when You Me At Six branch out from the themes of the love-lost and love-yearned that superior writing can be found. On the standout single, “Bite My Tongue” a refreshing honesty can be felt when Franceschi passionately bellows, “I’m married to the music, for better or for worse // You say that I am privileged, but my gift is my curse // I can’t recall the last time someone asking how I was // last I check I was a fucking wreck.” Although there is a fair share of self-loathing littered throughout Sinners Never Sleep, the sheer honesty in Franceschi’s voice makes it all too believable; however, if one pens, as You Me At Six did on “Little Bit Of Truth,” “All I want to do is write a song // One I haven’t ever sung before // I don’t want to sing the same old thing // It wouldn’t mean anything to me” then precedes to sing that same verse, perhaps one should reconsider the blatant contradiction in the lyrics.

Where one finds the greatest improvement from You Me At Six’s previous outputs (2008’s Take Off Your Colours and 2009’s Hold Me Down) to Sinners Never Sleep is in the group’s musicianship. Miller and Helyer rip it apart on the axes. On “Little Death” the duo twist and turn, occasionally harmonizing their instruments, prior to diverting into different directions. The distortion, coupled with the heavy bass of Barnes, compliments the fast-paced drumming of Flint on “Time Is Money.” The track is also supplemented by a brutal guest appearance from Parkway Drive vocalist, Winston McCall. Speaking of guest appearances, Bring Me The Horizon frontman, Oli Sykes, destroys it on the aforementioned “Bite My Tongue.” Vocally, Franceschi steals the show, as his voice could fill the most cavernous of rooms. He truly has evolved into the quintessential frontman. Whether it is a barn-burner of a track, where his voice borders on a scream (“Loverboy” and the jazzy “The Dilemma”) or it is a low-key, stripped down number where he softly balances elegance and passion (“No One Does It Better” and the underachieving “When We Were Younger”), Franceschi executes with the best in his genre.

Let’s be honest, You Me At Six are not reinventing the wheel. What they do, they do well. Combining pop-rock, punk, and hardcore elements into one cohesive product is worthy of applause. Yet, one cannot help but think of the potential You Me At Six harbor, a potential that is yet to be tapped. The group will have their fair share of radio play on alternative stations; that is not in doubt. Sinners Never Sleep is an enjoyable listen, but as a complete album, it fails to stand on its own. 

★★★☆☆

*This review was composed by Mike Meeze