Youngster Year

Weird Nightmare is not something you wake up from — it’s something you wake up to. After a debut album that hung around on the outskirts of contemporary indie records, the solo project of longtime METZ frontman Alex Edkins is finally getting the recognition it deserves. With “Hoopla,” its latest release on Sub Pop Records, Weird Nightmare has garnered a well-deserved worldwide reach — a long way f...

Ultra Lights began as a pandemic recording project in a homemade studio. Now a full-fledged band with their debut album on the way, the project evolved from frontman John Robinson’s desire to escape the 'jaded' cycles of being in a band. On “Pleasure’s All Yours," they embrace creative limitations and a dreamer’s mindset, resulting in a sound that’s more honest and relatable than Robi...

Montreal’s knitting returns this week with their sophomore album. While recent singles provide dark foreshadowing, the heavy, existential subject matter of the record doesn’t come without a few glimmers of hope. Out this Friday, “Souvenir” was written, recorded and produced entirely in-house. What we’re left with is a thoughtful and deeply personal body of work that serves as a worthy follow-up to...

Dino Expedition had a good run. But for this evolution, the old band had to go extinct for something new to flourish. Named for Cat Power’s 1996 debut album, Myra Lee is about to release a debut of their own. Out June 26, “Capture The Flag” is this band in their truest form yet. And just a few weeks ago, I spoke with vocalist and guitarist Tahlia Amanson about the band, the record and the songs wi...

When the Pretty Littles released their previous album in 2025, it followed a long stretch of dormancy, change and a rebuilt lineup. Through it all, the songwriting of frontman Jack Parsons remained the band’s center of gravity. Out June 5, “Mulga Wire” marks the quickest turnaround in the history of the Littles. The album came together in what Parsons described as “a series of last things falling...

Boston’s Gollylagging has spent years sharpening a sound that blends shoegaze fuzz with alt-country and bedroom pop sensibilities. Following their 2024 EP, “Dry Rot,” the quartet entered a new era with their latest single, “Jackknife,” on May 26. Recently, the band sat down to discuss the painstaking process of revising their new sound, their deep collaborative roots in the New England circuit and...

Borrowing from shoegaze while carving out a sound distinctly their own, self-described “moss music” purveyors of Minneapolis she’s green haven’t slowed down since their formation. Their new EP, “swallowtail,” arrives July 10 as the follow-up to 2025’s “chrysalis” — together revealing a band capable of far more than the dreamy, fuzz-soaked sound they first became known for. Next week, the band head...

Few bands see the early success Fai Laci has earned in recent years. What began as a college solo project is now a full band with a debut album on the way produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. “Elephant In The Room” comes out June 26 amid dozens of tour dates across the US this summer. Just before the band hit the road, frontman Luke Faillaci sat down with me to talk about it all.

After 10 years away, Mrs. Magician has returned. With an entirely new lineup, frontman Jacob Turnbloom’s creative vision is the sonic anchor that refines this new collaborative energy into an evolution rather than a departure; they’re still the same surf-adjacent San Diego band you know and love. The band’s new album, “Spiritual Hangover,” is out May 15. Last month, I was thrilled to speak with Tu...

Gnaw may be one of Singapore’s newest bands, but they are far from late to the game — because the city’s burgeoning indie music scene is only just beginning. The band made its debut on April 10 with “Inside a Machine That’s Glistening,” a four-track EP representing a year of sonic exploration and self discovery. Last week, band members Tara, Dan and Zak sat down to discuss their creative processes...

Radium Dolls are living proof that hard work pays off. Despite the grown-up obligations of daily life, they’ve managed to remain one of Brisbane’s busiest bands, never missing a show and recording the next big idea only when the exact moment strikes. Their second album, “Wound Up,” comes out Jan. 30, and it was created in a similar fashion to their first. But the term “sophomore slump” is not even...

Kula Shaker — the Britpop anomaly, as they’ve called themselves — came up in the mid-nineties alongside bands like The Verve, Oasis, Blur, but they never quite fit into the media pigeonhole of that catchy label, and for good reason. Today, nearly eight studio albums into their career, they’re older, wiser and maybe a little more mature, but their philosophy remains the same as it’s always been: to...

In their thirty years together as a band, The Dandy Warhols have lived an incredibly storied career, cultivating a distinct sonic identity and making friends along the way with the likes of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Pixies, David Bowie and just about anyone else they’ve come across — because you don’t stay a band that long without doing something right. Their 12th studio album, “Rockmaker,” ca...

You might have heard the expression “band of brothers” — and that’s exactly what Joyer is, although I don’t think that’s what Shakespeare had in mind when he coined the phrase. Today however, it’s often used to refer to any group of people who share a deep bond after enduring together through some hardship. And that also happens to be the story behind the latest album from brothers Nick and Shane...

The Chameleons are widely regarded as unsung pioneers of the post punk variety, having influenced countless bands who are wildly successful to this day. But like many accomplished musicians who’ve been around the block more than a few times and continue to prove their instinctive need to create, lead singer and main songwriter Vox is fervently humble, and his processes have remained largely the sa...

Dissatisfied with what their home country had to offer, Radio Free Alice packed up and moved to the northern hemisphere. But leaving their home country wasn’t a choice for them — it was simply the necessary next step in becoming a global force. If you dig, you’ll find countless phenomenal Australian bands. But you have to dig. Radio Free Alice is taking your shovel away from you and saving you the...

About a month ago, I sat down with Earth to Josh, a young artist from Lismore who just self-produced his debut album — but don’t confuse “young” with “new.” Josh has been making music for years, honing his craft and quietly building up a repertoire for the ages. His album, inventively titled “Josh To Earth,” is the product of this long stretch of creative exploration and is just as experimental as...

To Hinds, challenge and opportunity are synonymous. In the face of adversity, the duo never even stopped to wonder if they would continue — the question was how. And last month, we found our answer in VIVA HINDS . Hinds is currently touring North America through the end of October. Then, they return to their home country of Spain, where they’ll pick things back up early next year before heading of...

The first three dates of their North American tour supporting Fontaines D.C. were cancelled due to illness. But at a time when most other bands might have cut their losses, Been Stellar got to work and made their own shows, playing songs from their debut album for anyone who cared to listen. I saw them a few stops after the official start of the tour, and their drive is unmistakable. When Fontaine...

The Leap is the latest installment in Rod Coote’s constant repertoire, and it carries no less meaning than its predecessors. This EP is deeply personal for the Melbourne artist, who has just wrapped up his first European headline tour and is already plotting the next big thing. Songs used: "Blue Lake" - Rod Coote "The Leap" - Rod Coote

Hot on the heels of their sophomore album, Wunderhorse visited America to play two small shows before returning home to prepare for their heavily anticipated UK headline tour. And I was fortunate enough to talk with them about it all. Read my accompanying review of their NY show on youngsteryear.com!

Year by year, AKA Lui has been quietly turning out singles, evolving and developing his signature sound with every release. Each has felt like a major affair, but none have come close to the gravity of his latest undertaking. With Sapphire Blue , AKA Lui hasn’t so much closed the book on his past as he has begun a new chapter for music production, exploration and drive for what is soon to follow....

Kate "Babyshakes" Dillon is all in on Full Flower Moon Band — and has been since the project's humble beginnings nearly ten years ago. With a full lineup and an ever evolving catalog of albums battling one another to the death, Full Flower is a machine of unstoppable force. And there's so much more to what makes this machine go... The new single from Full Flower Moon Band, "...

Over the many talks I have been fortunate to enjoy with the boys of Le Shiv, one theme continues to weave its way through every discussion: this band is something else entirely. With friends all around the world, they’ve proven not to be contained by mere political borders. Le Shiv has traveled the globe, leaving new lifelong fans in their wake everywhere they go. With the COVID snag and a second...

Somewhere at the intersection of country, grunge, shoegaze and indie rock (an infrastructural enigma of cross streets that will leave city planners scratching their balding heads), lies Wednesday -- the band that burgeoned onto the scene from the seed of a solo project some five or six years ago. They have since risen to a storied status among contemporary indie bands, solidifying their place with...