True Believers

Young Hunting

Gold Robot Records, 2019

http://soundcloud.com/younghunting

REVIEW BY: Tom Haugen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/27/2019

A Los Angeles outfit with a penchant for harmonies, reverb friendly guitars, and sounds that take us back to the tuneful side of the '70s, Young Hunting's sophomore album brings pop music and indie rock together in a way that runs somewhat parallel to Shearwater, Fleet Foxes, or even Nick Drake on my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 True Believers.

“Every Living Things” starts the album with an atypical sort of '60s balladry that abruptly switches gears into a quirky form of chamber-folk, and “Lawd” brings us to an area of soulful pop with deep vocals and an atmosphere that's even danceable. “Blue Dream” does indeed get dreamy and hazy with a romantic spirit, while “Sargasso” gets nearly shoegaze with an ethereal feeling where synth highlight the affair. Elsewhere on the first half, “Two Worlds” floats near electro-pop with some of the best vocals on the album, and “Grace” brings a retro sound to the album with sweeping melodies.

The second side of the album gets off to a fine start with the quicker paced indie pop stylings and '80s influences of “Seventeen Days,” the lullaby-esque approach of “Mother Drunk On Wine,” and the laidback folky sounds of “Crimes,” which is easily the best track on the record. The album ends on the sophisticated, lounge like sounds of “Lighthouse,” where jazz is referenced with delicate singing.

An album that thematically surrounds loss, the setting here is entirely intimate. Both gothic and dream-pop ideas are explored and are somehow both devastating and uplifting at the same time. While Young Hunting could have been radio heroes decades ago, in today's world, they are certainly holding their own in some psychedelic, folksy, surreal, complicated version of music where each song unfolds with much attention to detail and the production truly extracts the maximum amount of emotion possible.

Rating: B+

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