The Young Friends - Hella

The Young Friends
Hella
(Moodgadget Records)
Rating: 2.9 of 5


A little different from their usual lineup of electronic artists, Moodgadget Records took a chance on a couple of adolescents making inviting beach pop with the release of Hella by The Young Friends. Three chords and three minutes mark the limit on seven summery songs.

The subject matter may not exceed any expectations from a couple of fresh-outta-high-schoolers, but a nice pop sensibility is ever present throughout. It’s true that the songs kind of bleed into each other; making it hard to remember one over another, but the naivety and charm in the delivery is somewhat endearing.

The vocals are mostly moaned out overtop of bright chinsy guitar lines that are a little too insistent—particularly on “North End”. The drumming is a bit lackluster and static in a ‘played via keyboard’ kind of way. But, the energy is still here.

The first track, “Be My Baby”, glides along some breezy guitar passages—making the most out of its repetitious choruses. The bass parts are undermixed and seem to exist out of necessity. The handclaps on “Riverside Kids” give the album a youthful merriment. Who knows, it sounds like it could have been a really fun album to record. Perhaps, The Young Friends could have utilized a tremolo box for the guitars on a track or two.

Certainly without the bookworm lyrical depth of Vampire Weekend, The Young Friends still put out singalong bouncers in a similar approach. Potential might be a dangerous word to use, but honestly, let’s wait until they grow up a bit.

Be My Baby - The Young Friends

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