VMP Magazine

It doesn’t take long for the conversation to turn to religion when you’re talking with David Le'aupepe about his band Gang of Youths. And in a way, it’s pretty unavoidable. The band, originally based in Sydney, Australia, has it’s roots in the church. It’s not a topic he seems to mind talking about either. In fact, he almost seems invigorated by it. While on the phone walking through the busy streets of New York, the Australian songwriter talks quickly and decisively. He can jump from Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel to David Foster Wallace without taking a breath, while fitting in observations of someone wearing a Jawbreaker shirt passing him on the sidewalk. He speaks like a philosopher with the spirit of Sid Vicious.

It’s good that Le'aupepe likes to dialogue on these high-level concepts because there’s a lot to talk about with the band’s latest LP, Go Father in Lightness, out now on Mosy Recordings. God, humanity, politics, and almost every weighty existential topic imaginable comes up in the 16-track, hour and 18 minute long record. Despite Le'aupepe’s punk attitude, listeners won’t find short, crunchy tracks in the vain of the Dead Kennedys on here. Instead, it’s a sweeping record packed with massive piano ballads and enveloping string arrangements. It’s a record that feels as large as the emotions and ideas it’s grappling with. As Le'aupepe himself explains it, it’s a “take it or leave it” opus made because it was what he wanted to do – not necessarily as a means of garnering more praise or success for the band.

If you logged online at any point during 2016, you most likely saw the term “dumpster fire.” The idea of 2016 being awful became a meme in itself, but not one that was particularly funny. There’s not much of relaying all those gritty details to you again – you can turn on cable news for that. Everyone will take their own lessons from that pivotal period in history. For synth-pop duo Sylvan Esso, it meant realizing that they had some growing up to do.

The group’s new album, What Now, is not just about the 2016 election. That’s more of a catalyst than anything. It’s a record about love, technology, identity, and being honest with yourself. That last point is key. Talking with lead vocalist Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, it’s clear they have no fronts and no fucks to give. Even in an interview, they’ll challenge each other’s opinions and try to uncover the truth. Whether that’s debating existential ideas like love or even their own songwriting process, they quip like friendly sparring partners. That energy is what makes What Now work so well.

Sonically, the album expands their sound further into a maximalist, pop direction. Meath has never sound more self-assured than on lead single “Radio,” singing pointed criticisms of the pop music industry like “Now don’t you look good sucking American dick?” Their humor and insight are their greatest assets and they’re more than willing to put themselves in their own crosshairs as well. We caught up with Meath and Sanborn to uncover the ambitious themes of their new record and the process it took to land on the final product.

His giddy laugh comes booming through the phone. It’s only 6 a.m. Seattle time when I place the call to Philadelphia and I’m working my way through a pot of coffee. But within seconds of chatting with Strand of Oaks’ Timothy Showalter, it’s hard not to get caught up in his infectious spirit as he recalls spending the morning petting his cat. By his own self-admission, Showalter is not subtle. The same grinning enthusiasm he has while shredding on his guitar and whipping his hair across the stage is the same he has when talking about the underrated virtues of Jane’s Addiction or retelling his favorite moments crate digging for dub records.