Gang of Youths perform new song ‘Brothers’ in London
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Credit: Amy Heycock
Gang of Youths release new album ‘Angel in Realtime’
Australian indie act Gang of Youths have made their triumphant return since their EP total serene last summer. In the past five years following the group’s previous album, Go Farther In Lightness, the band have changed a lot. The much-awaited third album was originally slated for a 2019 arrival; however, around the time, founding member Joji Malani left the group and was replaced by ex-Noah and the Whale multi-instrumentalist Tom Hobden. This led to a series of album retractions and rethinks resulting in a five-year wait for the next LP, a period where we have only had one EP to grace our ears.
Another turning point for the group came with the death of frontman Dave Le’aupepe’s father, whose life and legacy serves as the primary inspiration for their powerful new album, Angel in Realtime. The album centres itself on Le’aupepe’s loss, but the themes and emotions that spiral through the album are universally relatable and are often open to personal interpretation. The collection of tracks serves as a tribute, not just to Le’aupepe’s father, but to those loved and lost the world over. The album continues the anthemic style these musicians are synonymous with and the mournful theme lifts the listener’s chin with its courageous and uplifting charm.
The music itself is an inspired blend of classical folk, dance and rock music that gives the album its optimistic energy. There are a few strains of Le’aupepe’s heritage in the music with contributions from Pasifika and Māori vocalists, as well as samples of composer David Fanshawe’s recordings of indigenous music from the Polynesian Islands and wider South Pacific region.
Opening with ‘You In Everything’ the scene is set with a heavily orchestral run in where Le’aupepe depicts the final moments of his father’s life. The emotional anthem sets the precedent and draws you into the record moving into ‘In the Wake of Your Leave’ which continues the running narrative.
The album seems to raise in intensity toward the lead single from the album ‘Angel of 8th Ave.’ where Tom Hobden’s presence begins to come into full force with an emphatic love song set in London. The track can already be envisaged as a live favourite with its sing-along refrain, “there’s heaven in you now”.
The album progresses with sequential additions of folk string arrangements and the tantalising interjections of banjo and saxophone sections. The group are known for the instrumental density in their anthems, but strangely, one of the more arresting moments in the album is ‘Brothers’ which is one of the album’s more stripped back numbers with its simple piano and vocal composition. Le’aupepe never knew the full extent of his father’s life and ancestry until after his death. He learned that he had two older half-brothers. He wrote ‘Brothers’ as a tribute to his father’s forgotten legacy, outlining the feelings attached to his newfound brotherhood. The poetic, yet transparent lyrics are a testament to Le’aupepe’s fantastic songwriting abilities.
The album closes with the 11-minute two-part epic starting with ‘Hand of God’, another piano-driven ballad that teems with religious tradition with chorus invocations of “amen” and “hallelujah”. The track melts seamlessly into the second part, ‘Goal of the Century’, which builds up for an emphatic and courageous close to the album with the reintroduction of the moving orchestral string arrangements, tribal percussion and backing vocals. The uplifting track builds into a climax and then falls back down to the stripped back piano run into the final second of the album.
The aim of the record was clear, as Le’aupepe explained, “I hope the record stands as a monument to the man my father was and remains long after I’m gone myself. He deserved it”. The record boasts some of the most considered and sentimental music I have heard in a long while. The balance of the album will give the Gang of Youths so much to offer at live performances with its mix of sing-along anthems and wholesome ballads. While the music often touched upon personal matters, the lyrics remain open for all to connect with and enjoy as a celebration of life.
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