We first wrote about Chicago’s Young Jesus back in 2012 and, in the absence of new material (there has been a side project), have been listening to their album Home ever since. That album had legs.
Anyway, having left the Midwest for LA, Young Jesus are back with a new single, ‘G,’ the first track off of an upcoming full-length (called Grow/Decompose, judging by the artwork). A change in line-up (the addition of Garrison Benson and Eric Shevrin) sees a slight change in sound, but all of the hallmarks that made Home so good are still present. Complex, nuanced characters? Check. Interesting, unexpected situations and circumstances? Check. Young Jesus are back.
‘G’ concerns Neil (who seems to be the character portrayed in the album artwork) and his struggles to find an identity in his confusing young years. I don’t want to write too much based on one single (expect a full review nearer to album release) but this seems to be going a step further than your standard indie-rock fare. I think that the good folk over at Impose were on to something when they drew comparisons to David Foster Wallace (not least because Neil brings to mind Infinite Jest’s Poor Tony Krause).
You can download the single now over at the Young Jesus Bandcamp page, and if you didn’t listen to us the first time, buy yourself Home while you are at it.