Review: Dear Youth 'Heirloom'
With the surge of pop-punk gems growing steadily by the day, there are just some acts that shine more brightly in the genre above the rest. Canadian band Dear Youth is one of those treasured acts. The alternative pop-punk band will debut their new album Heirloom via Anchor Eighty-Four Records on October 23rd. While the record is a direct testament to how talented and refreshing their sound is, the journey there was not an easy one.
Dear Youth spent the better part of last year recording the pop-punk masterpiece in Room 21 with renowned sound engineer and producer Sam Guaiana. Guaiana has produced records for bands such as Silverstein, Like Pacific, and Rarity. Working alongside one of the best producers in the scene currently, the band dedicated time and effort to commute from their hometown in Montreal, Quebec to Toronto, Ontario to create what would be one of their best works to date. This project was not just another album to the band, but a musical journey of who they truly are as individuals as they move forward in this challenging yet sometimes rewarding adventure called life. Heirloom isn't just a journey through the minds of four gifted musicians, but a work of art that wants to join people together all at the same time.
Dear Youth
“Working on this album for 9 months revealed our creative capabilities,” explains guitarist Brendan Pilon. “Our writing process tripled, from writing 5 song EPs to writing 30+ demos were insane to me but we beat our own expectations. We never really knew what our sound was until this album. When you sit down and listen to the album, We never settled on just one vibe which I’m happy about. You gotta be truthful and not kinda play into what people want entirely so as long as you're being truthful, people will relate. One thing I wanted to achieve with this album was creating a crowd connecting vibe and I think we did just that."
From the gate, Heirloom exposes us to one of the best experiences on the album "Who You Are." This opening track is exploding with white-hot energy from start to finish, dripping with addictive and melodic guitar patterns that intermingle with gravid yet rapacious percussive elements. "Who You Are" delivers an emotionally massive first impression of a track to get things going for the rest of the record.
The grand moments of the album don't stop here as we venture towards the next track, "Fix Yourself." While this keeps the energy circumventing to the next dazzling experience of the album, nothing can prepare us for the other S-class moment on this record, "Dandelions." By far one of the best tracks on the album, its full-bodied instrumentals and deeply felt lyrics stand out not just for its infectious melodic cadence, but for its juxtaposition between bubbly instrumentalism and earnest subject matters. This dynamic is something the band has already nailed exceptionally by the third track and will continue to for the rest of the album.
"One Slip" is the next track on this beautiful musical journey. The quick-paced movements of the opening guitar solo immediately show the instrumental talents this band has to offer, along with the mastery of keeping the power of the record on a high kinetic note. By allowing the drums to be somewhat in the pocket, this gives the space for massive guitar moments on this track to shine.
We then trade the high-octane energies of the previous tracks for a more denuded experience, "Gold Mines." With an effortless combination of acoustic and charged up punk guitar strings alongside a robust drum presence, this slows things down a bit to make way for the next track, "What's the Secret." A track where the percussive elements are more in the foreground this time around, the relentless energy soaring through ariose vocal and guitar delivery keeps the vivacity of the record consistently strong.
The energy picks back up again with the fourth to last track, "Dawned On," which prepares us for a highly satisfying number, "Red Eye." Aside from "Who You Are" and "Dandelion" blowing us away towards the beginning of the record, "Red Eye" takes the cake towards the end, dazzling us with everything they got vocally, lyrically, and instrumentally from start to finish. So many enormous moments happen on this track that it's impossible not to rank this within the top three of this album.
We then end this fantastic listening experience with the last two tracks on Heirloom, "Crash Course" and "Goodbye Divide." With a lighter approach to the instrumental work, this is the point where the vocals and twinkling guitar work shine its brightest. Feeling every bit like a closing moment to this gratifying album experience," Goodbye Divide" makes the last energetic push toward the end with its arena reflective instrumental qualities and booming vocal delivery.
Heirloom is a phenomenal display of vocal and instrumental ingenuity at it's finest. Combined with a myriad of immensely deep subject matters with every turn, Dear Youth finds a way to lift your spirits instrumentally most of the way while still keeping the lyrical content firmly in check. An impressive piece of work by this up and coming band, if they continue to deliver more star-studded moments like this, this band will be concurring the pop-punk genre within the next few years.
Check out Heirloom on October 23rd on Spotify or other music streaming services. Pre-order the album here or digitally pre-save the album here.