Youth Lagoon
BIOGRAPHY
Tragically, the man behind Youth Lagoon, 22 year old Boise, Idaho native Trevor Powers, chose not to use his awesome real name to release his music under, instead using a moniker that conjures up the joint feelings of nostalgia and serenity that characterise his music. The ambiguity the name creates was a deliberate ploy on Powers’ part to detach himself from the sounds, creating an air of mystery that he hoped would draw listeners in.
At the time Powers was recording the tracks that would go on to become debut album The Year of Hibernation, he was a student at Boise State University studying for a degree in English. In his own words, it was a “weird, lonely year”, where he struggled to see his girlfriend due to work, and all his friends were always busy with school work. The songs were a way for Powers to deal with his rising anxiety levels, exploring deeply personal themes in the intimate and familiar surroundings of his bedroom.
After Powers posted the song ‘July’ to his Bandcamp page as a free download earlier this year, the ensuing media interest and offers of tours both in the USA and Europe made him take the decision to ditch his studies and focus on his music career full time. He recruited his friend Logan Hyde to join him on his first tour dates, setting off for a month-long trip that saw him leave the west coast of the USA for the first time ever.
It takes patience to fully appreciate The Year of Hibernation. At first the extremely simple arrangements and distorted, reverb drenched vocals might put listeners off, but once enough time has been spent to be drawn into the cocoon of sound Powers creates, the subtleties and emotions of the songs are fully revealed as Powers exorcises his demons in front of you.
The simple setup of guitar, organ and drum machine makes for a minimalistic sound that has been compared to The xx, albeit with a more naïve and less soulful feel. It also means that the songs can be recreated with relative ease live, allowing the duo to be one of the most affecting live acts in recent memory, as evidenced on the recent live session they recorded for Pitchfork.
While The Year of Hibernation is no doubt a fantastic album, especially for someone who has been in the music industry for such a short period of time, you get the feeling that with his second or third album Powers is capable of creating a true classic. Once he has got the confidence to stretch the limits of his talents, both as a songwriter and as a musician, it’s easy to see the young man making something very special.
Live Dates
3/11 - The Casbah, San Diego
4/11 - The Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix
5/11 - Solar Culture Gallery, Tucson
7/11 - Emo’s Inside, Austin
8/11 - Dan’s Silverleaf with Gordie Tentrees, Denton
11/11 - The Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta
13/11 - The Red Palace, Washington DC
14/11 - The Mercury Lounge, New York
16/11 - Milkboy, Philadelphia
17/11 - TT The Bear’s Place, Cambridge
18/11 - Il Motore, Montreal
19/11 - The Garrison, Toronto
21/11 - High Noon Saloon, Madison
22/11 - Lincoln Hall, Chicago
23/11 - First Avenue, Minneapolis
25/11 - Larimer Lounge, Denver
26/11 - Kilby Court, Salt Lake City
Links
Facebook
Last FM
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Twitter
Videos
Montana
July
Afternoon