Trevor Powers couldn’t have picked a more perfect title for his musical venture, as his pseudonym invokes the fragility of being young, all to the sound of deep, swelling pools of synth. Powers performs and records under the name Youth Lagoon and has just produced the dream inducing debut album The Year of Hibernation. The youth aspect of Powers’ synth wizardry comes courtesy of a choir boy vocal detailing the trials and tribulations of being young. The lagoon element is fulfilled by the calm waves of electronics that populate this LP. Standout track ‘Seventeen’ is the pulse of the album, as it portrays the spirit of being young and lost, while simultaneously provoking a certain youthful exuberance.

Powers manages to set himself part from the current influx of synth wielding bedroom music makers, as he could be quite easily catalogued in the chillwave scene, but this would be a lazy way of pigeon holing Youth Lagoon’s work. Yes, the reverb drenched vocals are present, as are the effervescent synths that undulate and morph to create an ever expanding palette for the aforementioned vocals to sail upon. What makes The Year of Hibernation an interesting prospect is the use of thunderous broken beats, which add a well rounded texture to the LP. Frustratingly at times the lyrics projected by Powers are difficult to decipher, as they constantly swathed in reverb, making this LP an isolated listen at times.

The Year of Hibernation creates an atmosphere fitting of its album title, this is a record to help you
escape from the world for a while and retreat to less stressful place.

Words and Thoughts of Adam Williams