Written by Madison Boyce
Back in July of this year, Albany's Young Culture released their newest EP titled "Godspeed." This five-track release showcases everything fans know and love from the group, while still bringing in new sounds.
Kicking off the EP, the trio throws listeners straight into the title track, “Godspeed”. Though it’s the first track on the release, it wasn’t the first we heard from the group in this new era.
Coming in immediately after the title track we have, “Hum”. This track was the first single we heard from Young Culture in their “Godspeed” era.
“Hum” took the band in a new direction sonically. More of this sound can be found on tracks on their debut full-length album such as “Hailey Beverly 2016” and “Compass”.
In my opinion, “Shiver” is one of the group's strongest tracks to date. It’s a fun listen and it’s a perfect summer anthem so, if you’re missing that this is the track for you.
My personal favorite track “Simplemindedteens”, brings an immediate wave of nostalgia to the listener. The opening lines “I'm flipping pages through a photo book / memories close to our childhood” set that up right from the start.
A special part of this track is the line “got a list of mistakes and memories / and songs about Hailey Beverly” where it references “Hailey Beverly 2016” off of Young Cultures debut album.
The trio chose to close the EP with the hard-hitting track titled “Head High (Swim).” Opening the song with the lines “What do you do when you've given up? / How did this gold mine begin to rust?” immediately throws the listeners into a pool of self reflection.
While bringing an overall emotional track, the trio executed it in a way where it can bring a hopeful undertone at the same time. The repetition of the lines “keep your head high above / breathe in, breathe out my love” help convey the hopeful tone.
All in all, “Godspeed” feels like the perfect addition to the Young Culture discography. While never sticking to one specific sound you can always expect something phenomenal from the group.
Make sure you check out “Godspeed” as well as the rest of the Young Culture discography on your preferred streaming platform! To support the band you can pick up some merch via their official website or via MerchNow.
Keep up with Young Culture by following them on Twitter @YoungCultureNY and while you’re there, let us know what you think of “Godspeed” by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw!