Young Fathers released their fourth album, Heavy Heavy, on 3rd February. My shopping list for Bandcamp Friday was pretty long, but this was right at the top, along with Mykki Blanco and pre-orders for Unloved and 10:40, both out later this month.
There have been three singles preceding the album release: Tell Somebody, I Saw and Geronimo, all showcasing Young Fathers' range and ambition.
The press release states that Heavy Heavy "could be a mood, or it could
describe the smoothed granite of bass that supports the sound… or it
could be a nod to the natural progression of boys to grown men and the
inevitable toll of living, a joyous burden, relationships, family, the
natural momentum of a group that has been around long enough to witness
massive change."
Heavy Heavy is a brisk, energetic album with frequent changes of tempo and mood over ten songs and 33 minutes and, on a first listen, a cathartic experience. Well worth the five year wait since their last album. Welcome back, Young Fathers.
In another wonderful example of blog synchronicity, Murray at Everything Flows also posted a great track-by-track breakdown of the album on Saturday
ReplyDeletehttps://everythingflowsglasgow.blogspot.com/2023/02/heavy-heavy.html
I've tried. Believe me, I've really tried. I've even seen them live. But I've never 'got' Young Fathers (doesn't make me a bad person though, does it?)
ReplyDeleteI can hardly call myself a dyed-in-the-wool Young Fathers fan. I've sporadically listened to - and enjoyed - their music but this is the first album that I've bought and listened to end-to-end. Not sure why I haven't with the others, to be honest - Heavy Heavy isn't a radical departure in many respects - but Geronimo and I Saw resonated to the extent that I had to buy the album. A few listens in and I'm glad I did.
DeleteYou may be a (vinyl) villain, but you're definitely not a bad person, JC!