Album Review: Civil Youth
Philadelphia band, Civil Youth, announced a few weeks ago that their newest album, Conversations, will be out on May 19th! Our own Carmyn and Meghan reviewed the album early to let you get a sneak peek into what to expect, check it out!
1. 502 (Slides)
This song has such a happy, pop vibe musically, and is juxtaposed with darker lyrics about missing someone who has left. There are many elements in this song that range from rock, pop, electronic and hip-hop. My favorite part of the song is the spoken word/rap which has a meaningful message about suffering that many people go through and need to hear, it’s beautiful that through music Civil Youth can share their feelings while helping others.
2. Belief
I’d love to hear this song live, there are sections in the chorus that feature gang vocals which would be great for fans chanting back lyrics to the band. This song seems like this is the band’s anthem and I could see it on a soundtrack for an action film. The racing guitars and breakdowns are filled with power and emotion, they flow effortlessly with the blending of raspy vocals.
3. When We Collide
This song has an atmospheric and mysterious build up with a calming accompanying piano and then transitions into the chorus with heavy guitars. This song also has an anthem feel much like “Belief”. This seems to be a common theme with Civil Youth’s music and makes their music stand out.
4. Dark Debts
This song is reminiscent of ‘Fairly Local’ by Twenty One Pilots, which is a soft hip-hop beat paired with mysterious sounds that make an interesting combination to pull listeners into the song. The band adds their own twist and adds their gang vocals and heavy guitars, to make a completely new sound that makes me want to hear more from Civil Youth.
5. Just Set Fire
Lead singer, Michael Kepko’s vocals are ethereal in this song and the drums add an intense feeling and make the song a mix between a battle cry and a smooth ballad. The lyrics relay a yearning message of wanting to be found and touch on topics of someone suffering from an existential crisis. The contrast of the calm and chaotic make this song hauntingly beautiful and my favorite on the album.
6. Between Me and You
The rapping in this song sounds like a stream of consciousness but the racing thoughts Michael Kepko mentions in the lyrics all relate back to the theme of trying to figure out what life means and the relationship with the person he wrote about, which is a impressive thing to see the song stay on the same subject but also take many directions. The backing vocals of Micheal saying “between me and you” repeating in the backgrounds adds a pop/hip-hop element to the song that balances it out it’s strong lyric content.
Check out the video for Dark Debts here:
7. Stay
This song continues the theme within the album of evoking emotion and fighting your demons. One lyric that strikes me is in the first verse, “can you ever imagine living like a king, without a fear?” This lyric stands out to me because the there is a theme within the record that I think can be found in every song about positivity and getting through depression and darkness.
8. Echoes
This to me sounds like an interlude between the two halves of the record. It’s just vocalist Michael Kepko briefly discussing feeling trapped in the walls and empty echoes.
9. Let You In
The beginning of the song to me means realizing what’s not been said in a discussion with important people in your life. But also the song I think fights with letting someone into your skin and being part of your psyche. The song features Emarosa vocalist Bradley Walden, and when his voice kicks in it takes you to a different place since there is such a contrast between Kepko and Walden however they also flow together seamlessly. This is my favorite song because it’s relatable and the guitar moves fast through the song and pushes the urgency that appears in the rapping/ fast-talking Kepko goes into in the second verse. This song would also definitely be on my list of songs to run to.
10. Jaded
Michael Kepko in this is discussing memories that have darkened his mood and his thought process. He is reaching out to a person and asking if he’s even still there or important. “Let the fire burn inside, everything isn’t meant to be so I’ll let these memories die.” This lyric discusses a fire for someone burning but also realizing it’s poisonous to him to keep the memories.
11. Part of Me
This relates to the interlude of “Echoes” because the beginning lyrics about wondering what stories the walls of the room would tell if they could talk. He sounds like he’s reflecting on what kind of man he’s become both growing up in a given time frame. “I pray to God this kills the darker part of me.” This is a powerful line because we all want to kill the dark corners of our mind and not let them take us over. As through much of the record, he seems to be struggling to win the fight with the darker part and dark thoughts. This song would definitely move a crowd in a live setting.
12. Vacancy
The song although much slower than anything before it, proves just as potent and intense as any of the other songs. This song proves the diversity on this record and the talent that the band as a whole. I would argue that this record is a theme/ concept record of sorts because it flows together and has consistent themes.
13. Conversations
This song I think is a good wrap for the album as it continues themes of the record such as the walls don’t speak but what stories they could tell if they did. Which is actually an interesting theory because I love the idea of the house/ room that have seen things happen you don’t tell people. The song ends with piano notes fading out as if Michael Kepko has pulled himself out of the rut he was in.
Civil Youth seamlessly blend atmospheric, electronic, rap, and rock to create a unique sound that will be a breath of fresh air in the music scene. I’m excited to see how the band will progress and continue to mature their sound. Check out “Conversations” out May 19 and their record release east coast tour starting with the record release show in Philadelphia on May 20!
