(Ivy League)

A maturing band takes its time on this new effort

They might be best known for that cover version about being forever young (an interesting choice for an outfit called Youth Group, especially since they’ve been around for a decade or so) but this Sydney band have proved before there’s more to them than that. And this fourth album, made under more relaxed circumstances in an old rundown hall, is about to add to that. Again, their brand of honeyed melancholic pop conjures up diverse references – overall there’s that kind of sad shimmer Coldplay have made such effective use of, but there are more specific echoes, of elements of Joy Division in Two Sides, The Triffids in Dying At Your Party, and so on. And while the chime and jangle of pop guitars are still much to the fore in tracks like All This Will Pass and One For Another, a greater use of keyboards provides a different sheen, sometimes adding an electronic ambience to tracks like Good Time and Friedrichstrasse, while mournful horns in Babies In Your Dreams enhance the sense of moody intimacy that’s evoked by Toby Martin’s vocals. All up, these more textured songs present Youth Group in a considered new focus, and it serves them well.    

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BILL HOLDSWORTH

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