Cumbrian rock band Youth Salute have already released two well-received EPs, but as far as they're concerned, the third could be the break they've been hoping for.

Every band says their latest songs are the best they've ever done - it's almost the law when putting out a new record.

Anyone who has seen the video for Youth Salute's recent single, however, can be in no doubt that for once it's not a hollow boast.

"Like every band says, they're the best songs we've written and they're a lot heavier too, but I actually mean it," says Shane Sanderson, frontman and guitarist for the Workington rockers.

"The heavy bits are heavier and the mellow bits are more melodic. To me, this EP couldn't be any more better than the last."

With two EPs already behind them, it's fair to say the band has had enough time to find their feet.

Carry This With You received plenty of praise when it was released last spring, but in the 18 months since, Youth Salute's work has come on leaps and bounds.


The new tracks are among the highlights of their live set already, and the reception for Shudder - which dropped earlier this month - has been overwhelmingly admiring.

More time has been spent on getting this release just right, and it seems like the hard work is about to pay off when five-track EP Carve is unveiled on Friday October 28.

Shane continues: "We actually demoed them all, which is the first time we've done that, instead of just playing them at practice. It helped us understand what was missing and what wasn't quite right before we went into the studio.

"With the others, there's always been something that's not quite right and it's niggled at me, but there's nothing like that on this EP - everything about it is more refined.

"We've actually worked to make it an EP and not just a bunch of tracks bungled together.

"It's without doubt the best thing I've ever done. It also took the longest and cost the most as well, but it sounds better than anything we've done before.

"There's not really any kind of theme, and it's cheesy to say, but it's a bit darker - even though in general it feels quite an upbeat record. Lyrically, it's just full of frustration - mainly frustrations about being in a band."

Despite spending much of the summer working on this release, it's still been a good year for Youth Salute - completed by guitarist Kristian Johnstone, bassist Andrew Bell and drummer Jordan Parkin.

The four-piece, whose alt-rock sound has often been compared to early Biffy Clyro, have continued to establish themselves as festival favourites, and their hometown slot at Touch Down Festival saw people turned away because of the demand.

Fellow Cumbrians Colt 45 have joined them at a number of shows this year, and it is their Carlisle counterparts' path that Andrew is keen to follow.

He says: "You can get sick of playing the same places over and over again - and people get sick of you playing every week too - so it would be a good thing for everybody if we played out of town more.

"Bands like Colt 45 have had a good go at it and got out and played all over the country, so that's something we'd like to do.

"We're not going to play shows outside of Cumbria for the sake of it - sometimes you end up spending more on getting there and back than you get paid by the venue.


Youth Salute rocked the main stage at Northbound 2015 (photo by Kirsty Swarbrick) "We've played a few festivals over the year and played in places like Lancaster and Dumfries, but it's been quiet for us because of the record. We all work full-time, so it's never easy sorting out a gig."

Three EPs in three years together is a decent return for any band, but this latest effort is anything but rushed.

More care has gone into making this release more of an occasion, with the aim of building a bit of hype around it.

"This is the first time we've had a proper release, and not just put it out," adds Andrew.

"It's the first time we've done a proper video, and the first time there's been any kind of strategy to it all."

A chance encounter at a gig with Maax Oliver from Leeds band Vexxes, led to Shane sending him the tracks from the EP for his approval - and better than that, he offered to put it out on his label, Spoken Records.

With the professional video already doing the rounds, and a respected underground name involved in promoting the EP, the hope is that this could be the break they've been looking for.

Shane says: "All I hope for this EP is that more people get to hear it and find out about it than the others. Obviously we want it to lead to bigger gigs and more fans, and that will come with more exposure.

"When we started out we had all these big dreams, but we don't really have any expectations anymore. We've had a little bit of recognition, but even in Workington there's a lot of people who don't know who we are.

"I sent the tracks to the label guy and he said he wanted to put it out, so that's a good thing, and I just can't wait for more people to hear it.

"There's no reason that things won't change for us - rock music is on the rise again, so maybe it will happen for us.

"We're getting a bit older, and it does feel a bit like it's now or never."

* Carve will be available digitally from Friday October 28. Youth Salute will headline a launch night at Lounge 41, in Workington, from 7pm on the same day, with support from Vexxes, Echoic, and Loose Tooth.