RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM ‘REASONS TO DREAM’ TODAY THROUGH VIRGIN EMI!
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR BRAND NEW SINGLE ‘THE OTHERS’ HERE
4.5/5 – DIY
4/5 – Dork
9/10 – Hot Press
“… whenyoung are a band that come good – better than good – just at the right time” DIY
“Already destined for rock n roll greatness” Time Out London
“Completely thrilling and euphoric. Whenyoung are great.” i-D Magazine
“With theit debut album Whenyoung are positively fizzing!”- Dork
“Immaculate pop confection.” Clash
London’s (via Limerick) premiere indie songsmiths, whenyoung have released their highly anticipated debut album, ‘Reasons to Dream’, through Virgin EMI.
The culmination of years of playing and writing together, ‘Reasons to Dream’ showcases Aoife Power’s (bass/vocals), Niall Burns’ (guitar) and Andrew Flood’s (Drums) ability to craft spikey yet melodic songs which delve lyrically into everything from love and insecurities to pacificism and the gap between the haves and have-nots in Britain today.
“‘Reasons To Dream’ is a presentation of our collective experiences of life since we have moved to London” The band explain. “We’ve trundled through many jobs, flats, neighbourhoods and rehearsal rooms learning, practising, maturing and cultivating whatever it is we do along the way. We’ve gone from knowing nobody to making close friends, from finding it lonely to finding it welcoming.”
Alongside previously release singles ‘Pretty Pure’ and the anthemic ‘Never Let Go’ it features brand-new tracks such as the touching ‘Labour of Love’ and the evocative ‘Blow Up the World’, based on a line by the French anti-war philosopher Simone de Beauvoir.
Elsewhere the band demonstrate a beautiful ability to mix a darker lyrical slant with tunes made for cutting shapes in darkened rooms. ‘You’re Grand’, for example, is a classic piece of driving jangle-pop masking lyrics about staying up all night as an escape from anxiety and insomnia.
One of the most affecting tracks on the album is the recording of live favourite ‘The Others.’ Written following Aoife’s time working as a gardener for a politician in Kensington, it was the tragedy of the Grenfell tower fire that inspired this caustic attack on the disparity of how the richest and poorest in society can live so close but be so separate.
The album marks the next milestone in a journey that started for the band when they first met as teenagers in Limerick, Ireland. After playing in separate bands around the local scene for several years, they eventually all found themselves in London and the band that was to become whenyoung was formed, inspired by a heathy mix of the music they all loved their favourite classic cinema and literature.
Since then the band have gone from strength to strength, gracing stages at festivals everywhere from the Great Escape in Brighton to Reeperbahn in Germany and touring up and down the UK and Ireland. They were guests at Shane McGowen’s 60th birthday, Supported Nick Cave in Dublin and were invited to play at the Barbican centre in London as part of a celebration of Ireland’s rich cultural legacy.
They’ve won fans at radio as well, being championed by the likes of the BBC’s Huw Stephens, Jack Saunders and Phil Taggart while also gaining support from Radio X (including a sessionwith John Kennedy), Amazing Radio and Ireland’s RTE Radio.
Already in 2019 the band have completed a headline tour and supported Sundara Karma all around the UK, They’ve played their first US dates with gigs in New York, LA and at SxSW and they’ll be heading out on a 2nd headline tour in October.
Reasons to Dream
- Pretty Pure
- Never Let Go
- The Others
- A Labour of Love
- You’re Grand
- Blow up the World
- Blank Walls
- Future
- In My Dreams
- Heartbroken
- Something Sweet
Tour Dates
30 September – Bodega Social Club – Nottingham
01 October – Gorilla – Manchester
03 October – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – Glasgow
04 October – The Mash House – Edinburgh
05 October – Think Tank? – Newcastle
07 October – Hates and Hounds – Birmingham
08 October – Scala – London
09 October – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds
11 October – Joiners Arms – Southampton
12 October – Thekla – Bristol
For more information on whenyoung follow: