Young Kingdom is an independent alternative rock band from Indianapolis, IN. They have been together for almost a year, and started as a cover band, which quickly introduced some originals and transformed to an original band. The Young Kingdom self-titled EP has the first 5 tracks they ever wrote. The EP was live tracked during recording. “We really wanted to record an authentic, organic sound,” said the band, “that would fulfill the illusion of listening to a live performance.”
I don’t always care so much about whether or not music manages to do something ‘new’. I think at times ‘newness’ is generally pretty over-rated actually or at least the single minded pursuit of it. In fact Young Kingdom don’t do anything new, they just prefer doing things right. Very few bands in the digital era actually do rock n’ roll right – Especially not after being together for only a year.
Doing things right is a bi-product of a group of people really digging down to the core of things, to their own core, and getting to that point where in order to stay true to themselves they can’t help but revolutionize. And they revolutionize by going back to the raw sound of pure guitar rock.
Music like this makes you look forward to the future while still reconnecting to the past. It brings people together. It does exactly what music is supposed to do. Young Kingdom are a wonderful band with such a joyous, upbeat sound, especially on standout tracks like “Echoes”, “Make Way” and “Amnesty”.
They sound like they’re having a blast, and listening to this EP you’re right in there with them. Good vocals are really important to me – if the vocals aren’t there, I can’t handle it no matter how good the music is. The lead singer has a great sound, sometimes smooth, sometimes rough and scratchy, but never unpleasantly so. It works brilliantly with the music to create kind of a carefree, effervescent yet visceral sound.
There’s not a single weak song on this EP – the whole thing sizzles and rocks from start to finish. They have that ‘alternative’ and ‘indie’ sound and it seems like they’ve perfected that formula within a very short space of time. Their sound has plenty of guitar and drums. It’s rock for sure, but it’s extremely accessible and would probably appeal to almost anyone, even more so on mid-tempo track like “Let Me Go”.
For anyone still wondering whether Young Kingdom delivers on all levels – lyrically, musically and performance-wise, the answer is a very strong yes. They might be flying under the radar currently, but their energy is palpable and their songs are highly addictive.
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