Business Class

On the back of their 3 single blitz at the end of 2010, You Already Know release their second LP, ‘Petrol Money’ next month (18th April). But the CD is available to pre-order now with the incentive of being able to download MP3s of the album straight away. Technically therefore you can purchase the LP today so here goes with a review.

If the name is unfamiliar to you then YAK are a heavy instrumental group spanning a bit of metal, a bit of punk and some post rock.

Their debut saw these styles mixed up throughout the record with even the odd vocal but ‘Petrol Money’ takes a different approach blasting off aggressively from the start. All three singles appear in the opening 5 tracks but it’s new tune ‘Goliath’ which perhaps best emphasises the hugeness of the sound.

‘Sunset’ has a very Seventies hard rock feel to it, before ‘Boomstick’ keeps the tempo high with its skyscraping guitars.

By the album’s mid point though YAK start to relax a little and stretch out. A bit. Whilst the languorous bass intro and chiming guitars of ‘Amber Lamps’ do ultimately give way to some serious riffage the second side of the record eases back on the throttle. The 7 minute plus ‘Meatshield’ is much closer to Mogwai territory for a good part of its duration although its mid-section is a tsunami-like monolithic wave of guitars.

The brief ‘Into And Over You’ is one of the few songs to rely on the melody of the lead guitar rather than crushing riffs whilst ‘It Comes In Waves’  follows a similar if slightly heavier path. Only ‘The Gush’ and closing track ‘Business Class’ hark back to the unrelenting intensity of the first side with the latter finishing the record off in some style building to a frenzied climax.

Sleek and menacing, ‘Petrol Money’ is a largely thrilling experience, in the process confirming YAK as a singular proposition in today’s Scottish music scene.

Various editions of the new LP can be pre-ordered here including the deluxe edition which contains the debut LP as well as other goodies. The LP is released fully on 18th April.