Three Minute Heroes Vol.2 is the second compilation from Warren Records/Warren Youth Project. It furthers their mental health & music initiative. This is a cause worth supporting.

Released: 19th February 2021

Label: Warren Records

Format: Digital

There are very few things in life that qualify as being selfless and good and generally lovely but this might just be one of them. Three Minute Heroes is a ‘mental health and music initiative’ from the Hull-based Warren Youth Project. The idea is to allow young people to express their worries and concerns and to get local musicians to turn these into songs.

After a successful first album backed by the likes of 6Music and Radio X the concept has gone from strength to strength. This album has found the organisation working closely with Withernsea High School, who have gone as far as to embed the concept into their school curriculum helping struggling children. Which, if nothing else, goes to prove that school is clearly a lot cooler these days (at least in East Yorkshire anyway).

The end product is 13 tracks from local musicians featuring the words of more than 70 young people. Together they have created something really very special. And this is no novelty charity compilation – it’s a genuinely excellent collection of music. Somewhat inevitably there’s a lot of genres and styles represented here; from folk to punk to metal to spoken word. So, something for everyone. And if it’s indicative of the talent of young people and artists in East Yorkshire then we have lots more to look forward to from that corner of the world.

The album starts, somewhat appropriately with Where To Begin by Alice Clayton. A beautiful folk-tinged ditty that wouldn’t have been out of place on the last Laura Marling record. Things are then cranked up by Brosnan with Being Alone, coupling 60s guitar riffs with Strokesian vocals. The pace is maintained with the snarling and superbly named Brexit Is A Swimming Pool by nu-punks Serial Chiller. Though I’m genuinely still not clear on why Brexit actually is a swimming pool. 

As a Spotify playlist, this would be a pretty perplexing experience but it doesn’t matter when the quality is so high; making it so hard to leave anything without a mention. So here’s Three Words each for the rest of the Three Minute Heroes. Young Jack – funky, chill, smooth. Joe Russell-Brown – alt-pop, dreamy, cinematic. FINNO – punk, vitriolic, driven. Peccary – hooky, ethereal, pop-punk. Tom Skelly – bluesy, ghostly, vivid. Split Milk – joyful, defiant, fierce. NEWMEDS – metal, raging, hopeful. Modern Mood Swings – emo, jangly, passionate. Jodie Langford – Yorkshire’s Kate Tempest. 

Phew (that’s one word for me).

What you’re ultimately left with after listening is a feeling of profound hope. Hope that music can help in the darkest or most difficult of circumstances. Hope that out of suffering can come beauty and that struggling can lead to creativity. 

Support this project. It’s a good thing.

You can listen to the project below, and you can support The Warren Youth Project here.

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