Capitol CMG
Release Date: June 4th 2021
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
The Young Escape – Count on Me – Single (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Count on Me
One of the bands that have probably faded from memory is the sibling pop quartet The Young Escape. Having signed to Capitol Christian Music Group in 2017, and releasing four stellar singles (“Good Life”, “neverfade”, “Love Me Like You”, “So Alive”), these guys faded into oblivion for a bit without releasing anything else. But now Ryan, Luke, Kyrsten and McKenna are back with a brand-new single called “Count On Me”. And…did we really think that we’d get a near-flawless new single after the previous four from The Young Escape? I certainly thought that these guys were done and dusted, and were in the midst of their ‘sophomore slump’ now. I thought that COVID-19 had wrecked them and damaged their career… but from the calibre of the latest piano led ballad “Count On Me”; I can safely conclude that this so-called slump hasn’t arrived yet. Yep, The Young Escape is back again and doing what they do best by creating heartfelt and inspiring melodies for the soul. So…if you haven’t been exposed to the brilliance of The Young Escape, then, well you could read my reviews, but in essence, I have Jesus Freak Hideout to thank, for introducing me to this passionate band of young believers, striving to make God famous through their relevant and catchy pop tunes. Comprising of siblings Ryan, McKenna, Kyrsten and Luke Johns, The Young Escape is definitely a group destined for greater things, and an up-and-coming band that you would definitely want to check out and keep an eye on in the future, as we are wowed more and more, and blessed by these inspiring musicians. These guys have also been juggling school and studies as well; and this time around, the band have recently released “Count On Me”; with the piano-pop number once again displaying the notion of us expecting the unexpected with this band, as they spread God’s love to the nation and beyond.
Quite musically different in genre to the rest of their discography, “Count On Me” is musically simple- just a piano and McKenna’s pristine and beautiful vocals. Sung from the perspective of Jesus, we are met with a loving Father and a God who won’t let us go. Or this song could be sung from one friend to another, as McKenna fervently relays to us that ‘…if you’re struggling to breathe, remember you can count on Me, to stay up late at night when you just can’t sleep, to love you all the time even in the deep, if you’re struggling to breathe, ’cause your burns are third degree, I’ll be by your side through your broken dreams, love you ’til I die, be the air you need, you can count on Me…’. Either way, these lyrics are so emotional, honest and poignant- that you can’t help but be amazed and inspired from listening to them- they’re so profound and impacting. And also; there’s a sense of realness and truthfulness in these lyrics and the passion from McKenna, that I haven’t heard a lot of in recent memory. With each growing listen I’m more captivated and enamoured by this track, particularly when we are encouraged that we can count on Jesus, on our family and on our friends, for whatever issue is on our hearts and minds. And from multiple listens, I can say unequivocally that “Count On Me” is God anointed- and that’s a fact. Nothing more needs to be said.
In my opinion, if you mesh together Hillsong Young And Free, Bonray, Cimorelli, Lauren Daigle, OBB and Dara Maclean, then you get this band, vocally, lyrically and musically. That’s pretty impressive alone, to be compared to each of these inspiring and world changing groups and artists, yet The Young Escape are their own band and have their own sound as well- and that’s about it. There’s nothing much more that I can say about “Count On Me” or any of their other singles. Except you need to hear these songs now. The perfect tracks to get you dancing (with also a positive message!), and think about the deeper things in life, The Young Escape are a band that I expect to hear more from in the coming months and years. So, what are you waiting for? Check out the band and let me know what you think of this new bouncy and joyful single! Shall we say- debut full-length album in the 2021 or 2022?
Score: 5/5
RIYL: Cimorelli, Bonray, Switch, Hillsong Y&F, VERSES, Dara Maclean, Group 1 Crew, Riley Clemmons