Reading an interview with Trevor Powers is like getting a glimpse into a troubled mind. For a long time, Powers, whose musical alter-ego is Youth Lagoon, couldn’t properly articulate all the strange thoughts that were cluttering his brain.
It wasn’t until the Boise, Idaho, resident put pen to paper and began writing songs that he was finally able to start relaying to people everything that was in his head.
The end result is The Year of Hibernation, the eight-song debut from Youth Lagoon.
Upon a cursory listen, the songs meld together into a dreamy electronic escape. But that facade belies a darker message in the lyrics.
According to Powers in a review at Amazon.com, “I don’t think I could ever write a completely happy album. It’s not that I’m not a happy person, but I just have too many things in my mind that haunt me.”
While that may be true, he does a pretty good job masking it with beautiful melodies and soundscapes.
Youth Lagoon falls perfectly into the same ilk as Wild Nothing, The XX, Zola Jesus, Beach Fossils and Wye Oak.
Powers masters the slow-build in his songs, starting out soft and quiet before becoming faster and more powerful.
Hopefully, Powers is able to maintain a balance in which he can keep making such beautiful music while also holding on to his sanity.
Infinite Shuffle 
Leave a Reply