First Glances – The Haunted Youth
Drop everything folks.
This is a Code Red.
Sure, we’re fond of all the bands we feature in our First Glances series, the exclusives, the niche and the downright soon to be legends. The Haunted Youth are definitely the latter. This band is seriously good. So good in fact they are shrouded somewhat in secrecy. I practically had to sign an NDA just to hear the forthcoming album, Dawn Of The Freak. I found it all quite exciting.
We know this much about The Haunted Youth. They hail from Belgium, land of understated, slightly bizarre, musical geniuses. I think The Haunted Youth is a band. However the project seems to be the brainchild of one man, Joachim Liebens. In that sense they are a band in the same way The Cure is a band when it is really Robert Smiths baby. The Haunted Youth don’t really sound like the Cure although they are dreamy and imaginative. I tend to think more M83, DIIV, The Drums, MGMT….
Per the bands minimalistic website, a typical song tends to be about lifes’ struggles but the songs themselves are therapeutic for Liebens, both in their creation and performance. Having just implied that The Haunted Youth = Liebens I now begin to suspect Liebens himself is said ‘Haunted’ youth, singular, just like his vision for the band.
As mentioned, there’s a press embargo on the debut album review until its November release. I’ve heard it. You’re gonna love it. That’s about all we’re allowed to say at this point. This isn’t really a ‘First Glance’. It’s a ‘hold you against the lockers by the lapels and make darned sure you listen’. So check out ‘Teen Rebel’ below. These guys could well become your next favourite indie sensations.
Dawn Of The Freak is out November 4th via Mayway Records. Photograph is from The Haunted Youth Facebook. Photo credit to the talented Javier Rosa. For more from Javier please follow the link provided.