Cavalier Youth is the fourth studio album by English rock band You Me at Six, released on 27 January 2014 through BMG. A few months after the release of their third studio album Sinners Never Sleep, the band had started writing new material in early 2012. By the end of that year, they left their label Virgin Records and management; pre-production and further writing followed into early 2013. Neal Avron was enlisted to produce the band's next album, which was recorded in July and August 2013 at NRG Studio and Avron's home studio La Casita, both in Los Angeles, California. Cavalier Youth is an alternative rock and pop rock album, which saw input from the rest of the band members on the lyrics.
"Lived a Lie" was released as the lead single in September 2013, which was promoted with a headlining US tour, and then a support slot for Thirty Seconds to Mars in the United Kingdom. "Fresh Start Fever" was released as the album's second single in December 2013. "Room to Breathe" was released as the album's third single in March 2014, while the Cold Night EP appeared the next month. Both of these coincided with a tour of mainland Europe and the UK. "Forgive and Forget" was released as the album's fifth single December 2014, which was then followed with a co-headlining UK arena tour with All Time Low. They then toured Australia and appeared at the Slam Dunk and Isle of Wight Festivals.
Cavalier Youth received generally favourable reviews from music critics, some highlighting its arena sound, while others felt that the songs were uninspired. The album topped the Scottish and UK Albums Chart, as well as reaching the top 40 in Australia, Ireland and Sweden. Alongside this, it peaked at number 124 on the US Billboard 200. "Lived a Lie" charted at number 11 in the UK, while "Hope for the Best" and "Fresh Start Fever" reached lower positions. "Room to Breathe" charted at number 40 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. Cavalier Youth was ranked within the top 20 on Kerrang! and Rock Sound lists for the top 50 albums of the year. "Fresh Start Fever" won the Best Single Award at the 2014 Kerrang! Awards.
Background You Me at Six released their third studio album Sinners Never Sleep in October 2011, which reached number three on the UK Albums Chart. Out of its four singles, "Loverboy" reached the highest position, peaking at number 39 in the UK. The album was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) by the year's end. Guitarist Max Helyer said the person that had signed them to Virgin in the first place had been replaced by its release.Daniels 2015, p. 147 He added that they felt "like we got a bit lost because we lost our key person" at the label.Daniels 2015, pp. 147–148 In January 2012, vocalist Josh Franceschi said that he and Helyer had been writing new material, but estimated that they would not be working on another album for at least a year.
In March 2012, the band released "The Swarm" as single. Helyer revealed that while they were recording it, they also worked on ideas for new songs. Following a headlining show at Wembley arena in December 2012, the band parted ways with their record label Virgin Records and their management. Helyer, who thought the relationship with the label was fine, explained their departure: "I think for them it wasn't enough for what they were putting in to it ... we kind of got dropped a little bit and we had to fight for things we didn't have to usually fight for". He mentioned that they found it difficult to have the same connection with someone new as they had with their predecessor.Daniels 2015, p. 153
Writing and Avron In the lead up to the Wembley event, guitarist Chris Miller said they have some ideas for the next album,Daniels 2015, p. 192 and by February 2013, they began working on Cavalier Youth.Bird ed. 2015 (200), p. 63 They spent five weeks doing pre-production at The Doghouse Studio in Henley-on-Thames, which was home studio that Flint built for the band to use for writing.Daniels 2015, p. 150 The following month, the group were writing their new album at The Boathouse in Henley-on-Thames, which was owned by a friend of theirs. They wrote a portion of the album here over two–three weeks. In April and May 2013, the band supported Pierce the Veil and All Time Low in North America on the Spring Fever tour. You Me at Six compiled a wish list of producers, popular and obscure, that they loved.
You Me at Six met with some producers while on the Spring Fever tour, one of which being Neal Avron. Avron stood out to the band out of all the ones they met as he seemed to understand the group the most. They liked his previous work with Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park and Yellowcard. Further pre-production took place in June with Avron. They felt at ease with him present when playing and discussing the songs. Avron had the band pick three–four acts from any genre that they thought were enjoyable and felt they could take inspiration from. They subsequently picked him as producer for the next album due to being comfortable and the previous albums he's worked on.
Production Sessions took place in July and August 2013 in Los Angeles, California.Daniels 2015, p. 149 They were initially against recording in this city because of the Sinners Never Sleep sessions that they promised not to record there again, requiring Avron to convince them.Daniels 2015, p. 148 They stayed at a house with their respective girlfriends in Griffith Park. Avron handled recording with Erich Talaba. Drum tracks were done at NRG Studio, with assistance from Kris Giddens. The group spent a lot of time on figuring out a good drum sound. According to drummer Dan Flint, Avron "tor[e] apart our songs" and on occasion suggest additional fills to play. Recording then moved to La Casita, Spanish for "little house",Daniels 2015, p. 146 a converted outhouse at Avron's residence. Miller said working here increased their morale "walk[ing] into a nice, sunny room in the morning." While the band didn't enjoy recording Sinners Never Sleep (2011), they found working with Avron a much more better experience. At Casita, they were assisted by Scott Skrzynski. In the past, the group tracked with people who were focused on vintage recording equipment. When walking into Avron's studio, he was surprised to see modern Krank and Vox amplifiers; the sole piece of vintage equipment being a Marshall amplifier. He thought "everything seemed very tame" to start with, but eventually "it all sounded really sweet."
Helyer brought in a Fender Deluxe Reverb amplifier, while Miller brought in an Audio Kitchen amplifier. In addition, Audio Kitchen's Big Chopper amplifier was also used. Miller used Gibson Les Paul Custom, ES-335 and SG guitars. He purchased a newer version of the ES-335 and was impressed with how different it sounded to his other ES-335 and subsequently used it on half of the album. Helyer mainly used a Fender Custom Strat guitar, alongside his Ibanez and Fender Jazzmaster. The pair also used Avron's Fender Telecaster and Danelectro Baritone guitars. Click on the Next button to look through pages. They varied guitar tones from Vox and Marshall to Orange and Krank amplifiers. The pair used the Big Trees, Boss DD-20, Ibanez AD-80 and Roland Space Echo pedals. Click on the Next button to look through pages. Towards the end of tracking, Avron was unsure about Franceschi's vocal on a calm song. Avron suggested that since it was a relaxing song, Franceschi should be relaxed. He remarked, "Yeah why don’t I go sit by the pool, and you bring out a microphone?" They went outside and tracked in the garden with Franceschi sat in a chair. They recorded four-to-five vocal performances and picked the best. Avron mixed the recordings at NRG, before they were mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York.
Composition and lyrics Musically, the album's sound has been classified as alternative rock, pop rock, and rock. Flint attributed the change of sound to the extra time they had to write the material. They wanted to make a guitar-centric album to display their skills with said instrument. As such, when Helyer was watching a Parkway Drive DVD, he noticed the crowd singing a riff. "Room to Breathe", "Cold Night" and "Hope for the Best" were written with this in mind. Helyer said he would "almost start from the idea of humming it to myself and then put it on the guitar." Click on the Next button to look through pages. Cavalier Youth marked the first time Franceschi asked for his bandmates' input on his lyrics. For two songs, he completely re-wrote the melody and lyrics. Avron contributed programming and keyboards to the recordings. "Too Young to Feel This Old" talks about moving on with your life despite hardship and finding your own identity. "Lived a Lie" discusses people who felt the group would not make it to arena-playing status. It ends with a gang vocal chant of "We are believers".
"Fresh Start Fever" displays Franceschi's vocal prowess, receiving comparisons to Infinity on High (2007)-era Fall Out Boy in the process, especially on that group's track "Thnks fr th Mmrs". It was written by Helyer and Miller while the rest of the band went on a night out.Rock Sound 2017, event occurs at 0:43–55 Franceschi mentioned that Avron's experience with programming gave the track its added texture. The chanting part of the verse sections was influenced by hip hop music.Daniels 2015, p. 164 "Room to Breathe" talks about fighting to remain strong and breaking free. The song's riff was the first thing composed for the album. Helyer played it for the rest of the band and "an hour-and-a-half later" the track was written.Travers 2015, p. 43 It showcased Franceschi's vocal ability, and drew a comparison to the Foo Fighters. Some of the drum tracks for "Win Some, Lose Some" were recorded through an iPhone in a basement to acquire a certain distorted sound.McMahon ed. 2015, p. 24 The riff in "Cold Night" came about from Helyer playing with his Roland Space Echo pedal; the track was compared to Jimmy Eat World. The drum parts for it were influenced by Stewart Copeland of the Police, a drummer that Flint admires. The folk-pop track "Be Who You Are" is the shortest song on the album, clocking in under two minutes. "Wild Ones" is a slow-building track, compared to "Forever Young" (1984) by Alphaville.
Release On 2 September 2013, a music video was released for "Lived a Lie". In addition, it was mentioned that the group's next album would be titled Cavalier Youth. On the same day, "Lived a Lie" was released as a single, after a premier on BBC Radio 1. Daniels 2015, p. 143 On 13 November 2013, Cavalier Youth was announced for release in two months' time. In addition, its track listing and artwork was revealed. Two days later, "Hope for the Best" was made available for streaming. After a premier on BBC Radio 1 on 3 December, "Fresh Start Fever" was released as a single the following day. A music video was also released. Cavalier Youth was released on 27 January 2014 through major label BMG. A mutual friend of BMG witnessed the band at Reading Festival in 2012. Subsequently, an A&R representative was adamant about signing the vans to the point he flew out to Los Angeles while they were recording. BMG allowed them to have the support of a major label while retaining the atmosphere of an independent label.