On their debut album Irish three piece whenyoung offer up a sweet combination of delicate vocals and towering instrumentation which come together to tackle a host of timely topics in a record that is as captivatingly melodic as it is moving.
Whilst sonically it often refers to eras of the past "Reasons To Dream" is undoubtedly an album rooted in 2019. It's peppered with influences of years gone by, perhaps most prominently the shoegaze era with foggy reverb coated guitar riffs more than often present and vocals harkening back to qualities not too dissimilar of My Bloody Valentine. Although here the lonely and isolated sounds of the aforementioned group are replaced with a slightly warmer quality and brought far closer to the front of the mix giving them a smoother swifter sound.
Yet whilst My Bloody Valentine sounded as if they were drowning in murky depths whenyoung appear as if they're soaring above the clouds and beyond. In parts it's the kind of music that could soundtrack an ascent to heaven.
In "Reasons To Dream" it's the topics discussed which propel the album forward into the modern day and help craft a unique amalgamation of what feels like past, present and future rolled into one. Topically it’s reminiscent of a record such as The 1975’s “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships” as whenyoung gracefully glides from tackling social issues to dreamingly musing upon love and all that comes with it. Yet, never straying anywhere close to preachy they instead remain openly discursive whilst also helping to retain the key sense of purpose and prominence the issues addressed deserve.
Situated at the centre of “Reasons To Dream” is the pristine performance of Aoife Power. Power by name and power by nature, her vocals are ultimately the record’s strongest element and are elevated further by the remainder of the group which features Andrew Flood on drums and Niall Burns on guitar. Using her astounding vocal range Power tackles a wide plethora of different topics via her lyrics such as mental health and the current class divide plaguing the UK. These key issues feel all the more prominent and pressing due to her attention grabbing style as well as the memorable choruses and verses in which she packages the album’s lyrical content and meaning.
The record's constant sense of bounding momentum and gargantuan highs come courtesy of Flood and Burns. Flood like the best drummers plays his kit for the song instead of for himself. He has clearly constructed each of his rhythms and patterns to enhance each track and help build it to the thundering highs they reach. In parts it's as if the album transcends the listening experience with it almost feeling as if it were a tangible living thing that you could reach out and feel.
Guitarist Burns on the other hand soaks his riffs and melodies in slick reverb which aids to the dreamlike quality of the record whilst working in perfect tandem with his fellow bandmates.
Songs such as opener "Pretty Pure" have a seen a nice bit of remastering. Whilst original recordings were impressive, whenyoung build atop and transform them into something which sounds and feels far bigger and more encompassing than before. This is also evidently a key ingredient in the aforementioned transcendent quality of the album.
Whilst their sound may not have the poppy slightly more commercial quality of a band such as Pale Waves, whenyoung have produced a smoothly confident debut that provides strong indications of big things to come for the Derry trio. Like the best nostalgia tinged music whenyoung have a taken a familiar sound and added fresh elements to craft something that is both a welcome holiday to a soundscape of the past as well as something that is distinctly their own.
If you need any further reasons to dream after hearing such a stellar record, let it be the prospect of a future in which whenyoung will undoubtedly continue to produce such astounding music for us all to hear!