Photo by Atiba Jefferson 

Our timeline moves so fast these days that a band being away for just a couple of years can oddly feel like a lifetime ago. In the case of Youth Code, the four years since their last released any new music really does seem like we were living in totally different world, and music scene for that matter. That sentiment isn’t lost on the singular tour de force within heavy EBM innovation that is Sara Taylor and Ryan George on their return EP, Yours, With Malice. Whereas other artists used these last few years to react to the moment, the Los Angeles duo sought to further immerse themselves inside their own world where self-reflection and taking stock of inner aggressions boiling over had already been in motion.

In using space and time to their advantage, they not only refined, but redefined their own sound across five tracks that crush together gleaming synthesizers with static, and a heavy artillery of blast beats against a new found embrace of melody without losing any of the harsher aspects that make up the foundational Youth Code identity. “No Consequence” and “Wishing Well” are deeply shaded in the power corrosions inspired by Nine Inch Nails and Ministry’s hardcore electronic alchemies, while a “In Search of Tomorrow” races existentially through a blur of cold wave synth-pop. “Make Sense” takes refuge in brutal self-reflection with an epiphanic might, while “I’m Sorry” is romance as violence, sonically encapsulated “I’ll never pretend to be something I’m not!,” Taylor screams on “No Consequence”. That statement cannot be denied of what they’ve created here — a new mold broken in EBM evolution from the remnants of a broken world.

+rcmndedlisten had the great please to connect with the Youth Code vocalist to discuss the accidental perfect timing of their releasing new music, growing their sound with their audience, finding melody within the chaos of it all, and what drives them to level up with every step forward they make.

+rl: The four years which have passed since your last release have led to even bleaker times to put it succinctly. And yet, it’s as if this moment was awaiting your return, putting into very loud sound and screams what so many are feeling. With so much of what we hear on Yours, With Malice taking form from pandemic introspections and societal turmoil, did you anticipate that the energy would become even more relevant by the time you released it?

Sara Taylor: I don’t think we put much thought into the world around us with this as much as it is just a testament to personal vendetta and dealing with overarching turmoil. I find it amusing that we always seem to appear when it’s needed, but it’s never with intention.

+rl: You’ve cited your new label home on Sumerian as the spark that drove you toward Yours, With Malice‘s creation. Even at an EP’s length of five tracks, it’s arguably one of the most fully realized — if not — the most fully realized Youth Code project yet. How did you approach this new found focus into everything that had been simmering beneath the skin’s surface over the past few years?

ST: We had been slowly toying with change in sound without ostracizing the people who love us for who we are. Bringing in melody and extending the reach of what influences us was a natural progression, and I think having a label willing to support us and encourage our growth was absolutely pivotal. I think it’s always a hope that when you grow that people will follow where you go and enjoy it, and it’s been really refreshing to see how everyone likes these new songs.

+rl: One of the most interesting facets of the listen is how the vocals command as much power in their intensity as the electrutions surrounding it. It’s something that was hinted at on your 2021 collaboration with King Yosef, A Skeleton Key in the Doors of Depression, and appreciated in a day and age where too many artists’ have a tendency to bury emotions further and further beneath a song’s exterior — letting the sound’s heaviness do the talking, so to speak. Was it a challenge to dig out the melody from the weight?

ST: Finding melody in such chaos is always tumultuous especially when you seek to find a healthy balance and not go too hard in one way or another. If I had only sung melodies on this, it wouldn’t be Youth Code — but if I had stayed in solely screaming in a rhythmic timbre, it would’ve felt stagnant. Making records should be a challenge each time, and I’m glad I challenged myself to extend my range a bit.

+rl: The chaos of our current reality makes your abrasive style of EBM even more resonant. But there’s also been a positive shift happening throughout adjacent hardcore and experimental electronic circles where what Youth Code began doing back in 2012 made this future possible. What do you make of the way all these scenes are breathing fresh inspiration into one another, and are there any newer faces in the scene who you’ve taken notice of?

ST: I’m mainly inspired by my friends. Whether it be different musical genres and sounds or just friends doing what they love I am inspired by drive from people who actually put in the work with what they do and take the hard route. As far as what influence we’ve had on the world of music, I can see and know confidently what impact we made, but I don’t get hung up on the focus of that. I simply strive to be better with every move.

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Youth Code’s Yours, With Malice is available now on Sumerian Records.