Youth Lagoon
Hometown: Boise, ID
Trevor Powers, whose stage name is Youth Lagoon, began writing his debut albumThe Year of Hibernation in 2010. Based around the idea of psychological dysphoria, Powers tried to document the trailsof his mind through songs of minimalism and hypnotic ambiance. Powers later described his writing process as “my mind communicating with me, not the other way around…it can take me to scary places but I’ve realized those bizarre thoughts I have don’t define me.” After signing with Mississippi-based label Fat Possum Records in 2011, he toued much of the following year before going back into solitude to write.
Wondrous Bughouse, Powers’ sophomore album (due March 5 worldwide via Fat Possum), was spawned from what he describes as “becoming more fascinated with the human psyche and where the spiritual meets the physical world.” During the time he wrote, Powers became intrigued with the metaphysical universe and blending those ideas with pop music.
“Youth Lagoon is something so personal to me because writing music is how I sort my thoughts, as well as where I transfer my fears,” explains Powers.
“My mental state is usually pretty sporadic…a lot of this record was influenced by a fear of mortality but embracing it at the same time. Realizing that human life is only great because it is temporary. Experimenting with ideas about dimensions. I’m not a gifted speaker, so explaining things is difficult for me. But music always makes sense.”
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Buzz Bands LA on Youth Lagoon
2 months agoMore, more, more: ► Coachella comes to the city again tonight for a bunch of "Localchella" shows, including Youth Lagoon at the El Rey Theatre. That's Trevor Powers' new video for "Mute," above. ► Then there are Dropkick Murphys and Skinny Lister , rocking Club Nokia. ► Then there are Sparks , doing a second night at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. ► Then there are the very buzzing up=-and-comers Palma Violets at the Echo. ► Along with James McCartney , more here
Amoeba "Music We Like" on Youth Lagoon
3 months agoYouth Lagoon, Wondrous Bughouse (CD) Youth Lagoon aka Trevor Powers at only 22 was the precocious new kid on the indie block with 2011’s The Year of Hibernation. Though a strong debut, the album could get a bit precious as one would expect when listening to a 22-year-old’s debut indie pop album. But if The Year of Hibernation was sugary, Bughouse is coated with codeine syrup. It’s a woozy collection of psychedelic pop, as eccentric as it is rousing...more at amoeba.com
TheOwlMag on Youth Lagoon
4 months agoYouth Lagoon Wondrous Bughouse [Fat Possum Records]
Trevor Powers refines his fuzzy lo-fi aesthetic in Youth Lagoon’s second effort Wondrous Bughouse breaking himself out of the bedroom creator niche into the realm of alternate universe creator. Wondrous Bughouse is exactly what its title and cover art suggest – Powers’ construction of a fanciful and sonically interesting world that takes you through the looking glass on a whimsical journey.
When compared to The Year of Hibernation, Wondrous Bughouse is more robust in sound and production yet still maintains a lo-fi feel through layered guitars and keyboards and Powers’ identifiable hush-and-mumble vocal style. A live drum kit makes noticeable appearances throughout the album (“Mute,” “Pelican Man,” and “Dropla”), an instrument that has yet to make an appearance at any of Youth Lagoon’s live shows. “Third Dystopia” is reminiscent of “Cannons” with its slightly more joyful keyboard melodies allowing the sun to peek out from behind Youth Lagoon’s backdrop of gray. With the exception of the first, all of the songs on the 10-track album are around the five minute mark, allowing Powers to thoroughly explore every uniquely quirky concept to its fullest expression.
more at theowlmag.comPitchfork Best Albums on Youth Lagoon
4 months agoAlbum "Wondrous Bughouse" scored 8.7
Youth Lagoon follows his heartfelt 2011 debut The Year of Hibernation with an album that is bigger, bolder, and more emotionally resonant, thanks to production from Ben Allen. With Powers’ lyri...
more at pitchfork.comTheOwlMag on Youth Lagoon
5 months agoYouth Lagoon The Year Of Hibernation [Fat Possum]
I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a new artist. It might have something to do with the fact that the man behind Youth Lagoon, 22-year old Trevor Powers, comes from my home town of Boise, Idaho, but something tells me I would have fallen in love with this album regardless of our common origin. Powers has generated some serious internet buzz since posting his first track as Youth Lagoon in May. His debut full-length, The Year Of Hibernation, proves him worthy of the hype.
The title of the album couldn’t be more appropriate; Powers recorded the dreamy collection of piano pop alone in his bedroom in Boise. The layers of piano, synthesizer, and looped guitars are arranged into painfully beautiful songs about anxiety and heartbreak. Brooks’ urgent, childlike voice rings out hauntingly over the tracks, conveying sensations of lonesomeness and longing. “Seventeen” is a heart-wrenching tribute to childhood innocence and wonder. “Daydream” tells the tale of eschewing real life for a world of fantasy. Every track on this debut is simply incredible. My only criticism of the highly addictive Year Of Hibernation is that you’ll want to listen to it over and over again.
Youth Lagoon – Montana from Tyler T Williams on Vimeo.
more at theowlmag.comPitchfork Best New Tracks on Youth Lagoon
8 months agoYouth Lagoon: "July"
"July" is the work of Trevor Powers , a Boise native whose reverb-coated sonics scream "bedroom" while his songwriting screams for canyons. Because what begins as a staid, somber, relatively precious affair blooms into something unexpected, something massive. It's all about the build. Powers does it layer by layer, bit by bit, piece by piece, letting this song gather ... [from The Year of Hibernation single ; self-released ]
more at pitchfork.comQuit Mumbling on Youth Lagoon
8 months agoYouth Lagoon is the moniker for 22-year old Idaho native Trevor Powers. His music is easy to like, but takes a patience for it to really grow inside your brain. Powers specializes in creating slow-building ambient soundscapes that will whet your appetite throughout their entire buildup, teasing you, but never revealing the ace up the sleeve. In fact it isn't until about 3 minutes into "July" that it hits you, like that first intake of air after holding your head underwater. You gasp, your lungs burn, and you wish every breath felt this good... more here
Quit Mumbling on Youth Lagoon
8 months agoBack in April we posted "July" from the young artist Youth Lagoon, a track that no doubt showed tremendous amounts of promise with its delicate sonic palate and beautifully soaring builds. "Montana" exceeds all of those expectations. There is a distance in the track, a sense of peaceful sadness reminiscent of last years Perfume Genius. The lo-fi nature of the recording adds a beautiful shell of emotion around the simple piano pattern- a choice made more out of necessity than a shallow attempt to fit a particular aesthetic. The track holds true to the builds "July" made promises of, setting more here
Quit Mumbling on Youth Lagoon
9 months agoYouth Lagoon is the moniker for 22-year old Idaho native Trevor Powers. His music is easy to like, but takes a patience for it to really grow inside your brain. Powers specializes in creating slow-building ambient soundscapes that will whet your appetite throughout their entire buildup, teasing you, but never revealing the ace up the sleeve. In fact it isn't until about 3 minutes into "July" that it hits you, like that first intake of air after holding your head underwater. You gasp, your lungs burn, and you wish every breath felt this good... more at elbo.ws
Pitchfork Best Albums on Youth Lagoon
9 months agoAlbum "The Year of Hibernation" scored 8.4
The debut LP from Boise, Idaho's Trevor Powers has all the sonic hallmarks of a bedroom project-- lyrics that reference childhood, thin production, reverb-- but manages to stand out from its lo-fi p...
more at pitchfork.comQuit Mumbling on Youth Lagoon
10 months agoBack in April we posted "July" from the young artist Youth Lagoon, a track that no doubt showed tremendous amounts of promise with its delicate sonic palate and beautifully soaring builds. "Montana" exceeds all of those expectations. There is a distance in the track, a sense of peaceful sadness reminiscent of last years Perfume Genius. The lo-fi nature of the recording adds a beautiful shell of emotion around the simple piano pattern- a choice made more out of necessity than a shallow attempt to fit a particular aesthetic. The track holds true to the builds "July" made promises of, setting more at elbo.ws