Philadelphia four piece Young Statues have completed the release of their debut full length; ‘Flatlands Are Your Friend.’ For long time fans this album may be a noticeable change in direction from its lighter indie rock roots to darker emo tones. The polished sounds of soft guitars have been exchanged for emotive synths and harsher tones. What better place to return to make this change than Chase Park Transduction Studio in Athens, Georgia; where it all began. The emotion really seethes through this album, all tracked and mixed to tape it leaves the qualities of a live performance with no room for production tricks.
The album opens with the blurred noise of ‘Natives.’ However this is merely an illusion as it breaks in to a steady drum beat and picked guitar, this is kept exciting with the sweeping synths providing a dark back drop to Carmen Cirignano’s lyrics. The slight differentiation in the pre-chorus is a great juxtaposition for the long held notes with the synthesisers really cutting through the mix before subtly returning to the verse. Although the synths play a prominent role they are not overpowering and compliment the somewhat rougher instruments of Young Statues.
A highlight of Young Statues’ writing ability is ‘Got The Knife’ with its intricately picked opening riff. The drums give pace with the high pitched synth sounds cutting through every two bars. The low end of the bass drives the song forward with its simplicity, enhanced by the addition of a second guitar further on in the verse. The chorus is slowed and stripped back giving it great focus; this is contrasted perfectly by the pace of the verse. After the second chorus, the instruments spiral until the song reaches its epic ethereal conclusion. Lead singer Carmen Cirignano puts the success of this song writing process to the isolation; “Part of the motivation behind coming down here to do this is that we had nothing else to focus on while we were here. There aren’t any distractions.”
Young Statues have performed a brilliant job of refining their sound. Sometimes the dedication it takes for a full length is what really pushes a band and it’s clearly evident with Flatlands Are Your Friends.’
Although this album may not be one directed at the old fans it is a great direction for the band to head in forging their own sound and taking a different path to the menagerie of indie rock bands we see these days.
3.5/5
‘Flatlands Are Your Friend’ by Young Statues is out now on Run For Cover Records
Young Statues links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by George Isaacs (@TryGeorgeIsaacs)
