AMG Review of Young for Eternity

Anthony Tognazzini
All Music Guide

England's the Subways mine the indie punk-pop sound as well as any of their mid-2000s contemporaries. The trio marry a brash, punk-inspired edge with melodic hooks on their 2006 debut Young for Eternity. The album's title is appropriate for encapsulating tunes such as "Rock & Roll Queen" and "Oh Yeah," which telegraph the feeling of being a 17-year-old rock & roller with crunching riffs and thunderous rhythms. But the Subways balance their reckless abandon with a keen sense of melody, as heard on the retro-flavored, acoustic guitar-based "Mary." In fact, much of Young for Eternity sounds like a catalog of youth trends from the '60s, '70s, and '90s -- with sunshine pop, glam, punk, grunge, and garage revival all blended into one exuberant package.