REVIEW: Gang Of Youths - Go Farther In Lightness

Written by: S.Y

The question has weighed heavily on the minds of many; how do you follow up an album like ‘The Positions’? Gang of Youths’ first album was absolutely fixated on the tumultuous relationship that lead singer, David Le’aupepe, clung to with his cancer-stricken wife. But the release of that album, and its follow up EP, ‘Let Me Be Clear’, saw the band finally close what was a harrowing, yet triumphant chapter in all of their lives. 

Yet the question remains; what do you write about when faced with such an overwhelming sense of freedom? No longer constricted by such an all-consuming life force, Le’aupepe revels in the freedom to explore the wonders of philosophy, love, and life, and you can feel it in every single lyric.

‘Atlas Drowned’ sees Le’aupepe take a warranted stab at the political systems of the day, armed with the previously unfamiliar angst of punk. At the same time, the album’s title track, ‘Go Farther In Lightness’ has this strange way of making it feel like Le’aupepe is playing solely for you. You’re sitting in an old pub, some 50 years ago, the kind of place at which Mr. Young would have cut his teeth. Le’aupepe sits before a dusty piano in the corner, the rest of the people chatting in the background completely oblivious to the moment; a secret everyone is missing out on, save you, the listener.

Evolving from older tracks like ‘Kansas’, Le'aupepe's arrangements become even more indulgent on the band's sophomore record, adding a rich theatricality to the album. ‘Archilles ‘, with its soaring violin arrangements, feels as though it belongs beneath the lead in a larger-than-life film.

Like Le’aupepe, the album wears its heart, and its influences on its sleeve. The album is peppered with familiar riffs and allusive wisps you're sure you've heard before, (‘Persevere’ bears a striking resemblance to The National's 'Gospel’); it fits just like a well-loved sweater. 

One of the most defining tracks on the album, ‘The Deepest Sighs, The Frankest Shadows’ made its debut all the way back in 2016 at an iconic Splendour In The Grass sunset slot. While the album version is somewhat tamer than its live incarnation, its lyrics still hold the same weight, tapping into the innate humanness we all share, ‘Not everything means something honey, so say the unsayable, say the most human of things…’

This album is so full of hope and resolution; it’s absolutely contagious. But I’m calling bullshit on the band’s repeated exasperation that guitar-laden rock is dead. That’s forgetting a whole generation of kids who went trawling through their parents’ record collection; who’ll find comfort in the Springsteen-esque sounds this album is so firmly built on.

This album is great, Gang of Youths are great, and guitar rock isn’t going anywhere.

Gang Of Youths - Go Farther In Lightness: Out August 18