Looking for some new music to start the year? Add Young Culture’s new EP to your playlist now. New York’s Young Culture established themselves in 2016 with the release of their mini-album You featuring State Champs’ Derek DiScanio on the track Bedroom Floor, leaving high hopes for their latest release. Young Culture’s third EP (This Is) Heaven delves into new territory as the band leave the mediocre boundaries of pop-punk sound with more emotion and energy than before, with a more refined sound for 2019.
Deluxe sets a dark moody tone as vocalist Alex Magnan introduces the theme of recovering and moving on from past relationships with a bridge that cuts deep; “Deceiving, misleading, I relapsed, but I’m healing” makes it the perfect opening track. Track two, Breathe It In, demonstrates the band’s ability to switch from a serious tone to a feel-good anthem with a cut-back guitar riff and infectious chorus and that begs to be danced to. Followed by the band’s latest release, 21 Days, the bittersweet theme of heartbreak continues, combined with smooth guitar riffs and hard-hitting vocals. Shifting the ambiance once more, Never Changed delves into the delicacy of electronic sounds entwining powerful lyrics and chiming guitars into a beautiful love song full of pain and hope.
The EP draws to an end with a burst of raw emotion in Drift. Magnan’s intense lyrics, “My lungs are filled with smoke and regret / I’m losing oxygen every single time I breathe you in” illustrate the emotional turmoil and danger of wanting someone you can’t have. The emotional intensity of the track encompasses the running theme that is present throughout the EP – turning a bad situation into something beautiful.
Overall, (This is) Heaven definitely has a positive steer, bringing a breath of fresh air to a scene that has struggled to find new life for so long with a combination of emotional depth both musically and lyrically. This is definitely one to watch for the future.
7/10
For fans of: State Champs, Point North, Catch Fire
Words by Amber Jade Phoenix Gaffoor
‘(This Is) Heaven’ by Young Culture is out now on Rude Records.
