New Young Juvenile Youth: “Sugar Spike” And “Darkroom”
The world electronic duo Young Juvenile Youth conjure up has always dabbled in unease, but new single “Sugar Spike” finds them diving straight into loneliness. The number, part of a new monthly single project, doesn’t even try to fake a smile, straight out rejecting the idea of “sugar-spiking happiness” and simply letting an admission of loneliness ring off into the abyss. Helping drive this feeling across is a more understated musical backdrop. The group could sometimes get a little too busy in earlier releases, loading up on so many nervy touches that it just got all cartoon whirlwind. But here, Young Juvenile Youth leave ample space on the verses for Yuki Matsuda to roll her thoughts over, and it makes the moment that reflection breaks apart into every direction on the hook all the more impactful. Listen above.
“Darkroom,” the January offering, is more in line with the Young Juvenile Youth of the last few years. It throbs ahead via synth, creating a constant unease made a little too busy via all of Matsuda’s echoing lines. But at its best moments, the stuttering vocal repetition creates a nice pattern that breaks through the sinister atmosphere. Listen below.
