It was 2004 when You Me At Six first came together. Since then, life and the band have significantly changed having spent almost two decades together performing all across the world and stepping in and out of an array of genres. They've grown up and their music transformed alongside them. 

In their latest album, Truth Decay, however, they go back to their roots—not merely for nostalgia's sake but to pay ode to the band they were and wanted to be, cementing what You Me At Six is truly all about. 

"It was really important for us to make a record where we could really hear all five of us on it and if we weren’t jumping around the room and screaming guitar riffs, air drumming, or singing the words back at each other we weren’t interested. We had to make it feel like old school You Me At Six but not just a trip down memory lane, we wanted to bring it into 2023," You Me At Six frontman Josh Franceschi tells Bandwagon. 

Before You Me At Six heads out on their Asia tour, Bandwagon caught up with Josh Franceschi to talk about being honest in music, growing up with the band and taking care of it, being part of something bigger than he imagined, returning to Singapore, and what to expect at their shows. 

It’s been a while since you guys came to Singapore, what are you most looking forward to this time around?

Yes, we haven’t been to Singapore for a very long time, I believe it’s going to be almost a decade which is pretty crazy. We have very fond memories of last time we came with the beautiful culture and people. We’re looking forward to seeing our fans in Singapore once again! I think we’ve put out about 4 albums since we last saw you so there’s lots of new music to share as well as lots of old ones too!

How do you guys prepare for a live show? Do you have any pre-show rituals? Walk us through what usually goes on backstage as the minutes count down to showtime.

The way we usually prepare for a show is everyone having their own thing and their own warm ups that they do or things that help them get into the zone and be both mentally and physically prepared to play. I have a series of warm ups that I do and then about 20 minutes before we go on we put on some loud music and people take it in turns to put on a song. This when we all get excited because we know we’re about to go and do something that we all love to do, especially together.

What song do you love performing live?

The song I love to perform live the most would have to be one of the older ones, either 'Underdog' or 'Bite My Tongue', because I know they are songs that our fans really love. It’s great to see their reaction when they haven’t heard us play them or haven’t seen us for a while, I get a kick out of that!

Ultimately playing any of the new songs from the newest record too because they’re the most fresh and it’s nice to see how those songs have travelled and how people are living with them and if they’ve become just as attached to them as we were making them!

What do you hope people get out of a You Me At Six show?

I hope that people feel like they leave feeling a sense of relief or release, just something that has a positive connotation. I want people to come to our shows and feel better about themselves and to be glad to be where they are and whoever they are there with. Music can connect us all and I hope that when people come to see us that they feel connected to us but most importantly to the other people in the audience. Ultimately though to come and have fun!

Your tour comes in celebration of your latest album, Truth Decay. Tell us more about the story behind the album and how it came to be.

Truth Decay started back in December 2021 where we went on a few writing trips. It began with us trying to figure out what kind of band we wanted to be on the new record, what band we thought we were, and what did we think we had to offer the most. We looked retrospectively to move forwards in terms of sonically and within the songwriting. You can hear an 'old school' You Me At Six spirit on Truth Decay.

It was an awesome experience recording in Santorini at Black Rock Studios where we had this beautiful house with a studio to ourselves. We tried to make the most out of being away with one another. We always try to go away when we make a record because it feels like it brings us closer and brings us all in really focused on what we’re trying to do. It was really important for us to make a record where we could really hear all 5 of us on it and if we weren’t jumping around the room and screaming guitar riffs, air drumming or singing the words back at each other we weren’t interested! We had to make it feel like old school You Me At Six but not just a trip down memory lane we wanted to bring it into 2023.

You Me At Six have never shied away from diving deep into personal moments of pain that you guys have experienced, especially in Truth Decay. What is it like reliving some of those moments while making music and then performing it live? Do you ever get scared being so vulnerable through your songs?

I think the most important thing if you’re going to be still putting out music like we are 8 albums in is that you have to be honest and you have to be earnest. You have to show that you’re first and foremost a human being and human beings are imperfect. Being vulnerable and transparent in your songwriting allows people to find themselves more in your music as well as finding that common thread that brings us all together.

I don’t really feel too much fear or concept of fear performing the songs that we make because I’ve already been through it, I have already lived through that imperfect moment, or that moment or trauma or sadness or whatever it might be. Putting it into a song ultimately is total release and total letting go. If anything I look forward to performing those songs live because it just brings me closer in but also removes me from the state of mind which is negative.

You Me At Six have been around for almost two decades, what keeps you guys going? What’s your favorite thing about being in the band?

The thing that keeps us together the most is the common goal and aspiration that we all have to travel and perform. When something has been so imperative to forming your childhood, your adolescence, and then your adulthood it’s important to take care of it. I love the band and I hope that wherever the band goes and whatever we do as a band—but more importantly whatever we do as people—that we are always part of each other’s lives. I just hope that we can continue to see as much of the world as possible and share new experiences together and ultimately be part of something bigger than just ourselves, having a positive impact on people’s lives, getting them through bad moments, soundtracking the good times, the moments of love and joy.

Maybe in another two decades time people will talk about our band with their kids and I think if the one thing we know for certain is that we’ve all got ‘X’ amount of time on this planet but hopefully our music will in some capacity live on forever. When I think about that I think it’s pretty fucking wild and makes me very proud!

Presented by Bandwagon Live, You Me At Six will be performing at Singapore's *SCAPE Ground Theatre on 4 July. Get your tickets here!

Listen to You Me At Six's Truth Decay here.