If you were gonna stitch together a rock star who encapsulated some of the very best bits of 21st century music, it would look a lot like Yungblud. Nineteen-year-old Dominic Harrison has the lyrics of a young Alex Turner, the fury of Sex Pistols leader John Lydon, the swagger of a hip-hop king Travis Scott and a whole load of spirit that’s all his own.
That spirit dominates the Sheffield singer’s self-titled debut EP, a riotous 15 minutes of rock, punk, indie and pop that refuses to stand still, much like the man himself. Opener ‘King Charles’ reeks of Harrison’s defiant attitude, and gives us all a bit of a history lesson: “This one’s for you, King Charles, you mess with the people / Took the taxes to fund the evil / Sound familiar?” ‘Polygraph Eyes’, meanwhile, tackles lad culture and consent (“Leave her alone mate, she doesn’t want to go home with ya”) and closer ‘Anarchist’ is a slow-building indie ballad with bite.
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Though there are nods to the past throughout his music, Yungblud feels as unique as Jamie T’s hedonistic early days. Expect to see the pink sock-clad newcomer stomping around at a stage near you this summer. You won’t be able to miss him.