With the end of exams (hopefully) fast approaching, students need that one last shining beacon of hope to push them over the final hurdle, and Crystal Fighters provide just that with their single ‘You & I’. Like the gentle caress of a warm hazy breeze, or the sweet refreshing swig of a Spanish lager, ‘You & I’ promises an end to torturous revision and the beginning of those soon to be intoxicating summer days.
Rhythmic, Latino and buoyant, it serves well as a standalone feature in Crystal Fighter’s repertoire. A flamboyant collection of organic and electronic elements: the song begins with the delightful springy tones of a ukulele cuing in the restless percussion, while throughout the chorus an artificial melody flows in the background. A feeling of undiluted honesty pervades the track, with nothing forced or staged despite its obvious appeal to student audiences: “No sleep, no chance, no need, forget about it.” Also, despite the lyrical simplicity (“spinning, clapping, laughing, dancing”), they have an innocence and brevity that many youth targeted club songs seem to lack, while still instilling that feel good factor. It isn’t necessarily insanely catchy, there will be more memorable summer songs this year; however it has enough energy to be running through my head after the many YouTube adverts it’s featured in.
Overall, ‘You & I’ proves itself to be an optimistic and youthful homage to those throwaway summer days, when being stupidly irresponsible and free feels great.
7/10
