Artist: David Youngs
Album: Fragments (CD)
Release Date:
Acclaimed British guitarist and multi-instrumentalist David Youngs returns with Fragments, a solo guitar album that captures a lifetime of musical curiosity, quiet bravery and emotional honesty. The release marks a significant chapter for an artist long admired within guitar and recording circles, yet refreshingly uninterested in hype or convention.
A formally trained drummer and self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Youngs spent years working confidently behind drum kits and bass guitars in countless bands, while quietly shelving a far more personal ambition: performing solo guitar. “It felt too exposed,” he admits. “Too dangerous.” Around 2010, faced with the choice of finally confronting that fear or letting the idea fade away, Youngs chose to step forward.
That decision set in motion a body of work defined not by virtuosity alone, but by intention and emotional resonance.
Fragments is the culmination of that journey — an album shaped as much by sound design and space as by melody. Recorded in Youngs’ own studio, the release reflects his deep interest in audio engineering and sonic detail, an approach that has earned praise from respected publications including Acoustic, Guitarist and Sound On Sound, where his work has been noted for both its technical excellence and expressive restraint.
Beyond the craft, it is the human response to Youngs’ music that defines Fragments. Audience members have spoken of the album helping them through grief, loss and long winter months — moments when music becomes something more than background sound. “It’s those comments that stop you in your tracks,” says Youngs. “That’s why I keep going.”
Despite a résumé that includes festival appearances, sessions at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, and years immersed in professional studios — including an early formative role at London’s legendary Trident Studios — Youngs remains disarmingly grounded. A father of three, Cambridge-based and largely absent from social media by choice, he represents a quieter kind of artist: one focused on substance over noise.
Upcoming live activity includes Drum Camp Festival 2026, alongside a history of previous festival performances and live appearances that have steadily built his reputation as a compelling and technically accomplished solo performer. Further dates will be announced.
Fragments is not an album that demands attention — it earns it. Honest, immersive and deeply felt, it offers listeners space to reflect, breathe and connect.
Follow David Youngs
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/artist/david youngs
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/musicbydavidyoungs
Website: https://davidyoungs.net/