Los Angeles quintet Young Hunting release their new album, True Believers, via Gold Robot Records. Their sound is formed around gentle, lush dream pop interspersed with stark, desolate gothic folk. Their debut album, Hazel, was inspired mostly by failed affairs, a divorce, and life in the shadow of LA's show-business culture. True Believers is a psych-soul dream for the lovelorn. The record deals extensively with loss of future and loss of past, encountering the void on intimate terms - watching a familiar life evaporate from your hands, merging the self and the shadow-self...

Those that like dream pop or have a fondness for '80s music will find that Young Hunting's True Believers houses loads to get their teeth into. At times you'll think you've heard these songs before... but in a dream... This is partly down to the fact the band borrows much from previous acts from the time period, while bringing everything up to date for a modern audience.

The album contains 11 songs (37 min, 52 sec) and opens with 'Every Living Thing', which is a slow introduction to the band's style. 'Lawd' houses a guitar riff not dissimilar to Kraftwork's 'The Model' (1978). 'Sargasso' washes over the listener, creating a dreamy style... and if you're not captivated at this point then this album is probably not for you. 'Grace' takes its style from '50s music, delivering something a little different. 'Crimes' is a little more modern, delivering a memorable chorus that's hard not to like.

There's the odd issue with the vocals occasionally clashing a little with the music which is a little distracting, but it's nothing too problematic. Overall, the band has their own style, which is derived from their collective love of popular music of the past.

7

Nick Smithson