SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE VIOLENT YOUTH – NA IGLE

THE VIOLENT YOUTH
NA IGLE
ARTOFFACT RECORDS

The Violent Youth have made their way to Artoffact Records, announcing their new album, Na Igle (On Needles). A dynamic duo, Arthur Tsymbal and Julian Riegal from Belarus and Germany respectively, deliver a blend of alternative post-punk with an 80s twist, entirely in Russian, being the only foreseeable challenge; I would argue it adds to its brilliance, simply transcending language barriers. Extraordinarily, Tsymval is multi-instrumental with phenomenal talent, delivering a complexity to his lyrics that resonate globally during uncertainty.

The tunes are reminiscent of ’80s synthetic post-punk, opening with “20s”, a trippy, slightly unsettling introduction that quickly and smoothly transitions. Lyrically deep, Tsymbal speaks of a time of uncertainty, with sublimely gentle vocals adding to the appeal. “Prah” brings an upbeat twist, but similarly to other tracks, there is a yearning and seriousness to the vocals, much like “Ya Ne Hochu”, with lines translating to, “I don’t want to, I have enough. The whole world around me is going crazy.” seems to be the consistent theme for Na Igle.

The closing track, “Odinochestvo”, is close to eight minutes long with a euphoric wave of sound and emotion. The track gradually creates a rich and dynamic texture. The vocals are soft and soothing. The track climaxes at around four minutes, where the instruments fade away and leave only the voice echoing in the air. Then, the track does something unexpected: it fades into silence close to the five-minutes mark and continues until just over six minutes. This creates a sense of anticipation and curiosity in the listener, wondering what will happen next if anything at all. A crisp yet beautiful keyboard melody breaks the silence momentarily; however, the song does not resume. The title translates to loneliness.

Taking a deep delve into The Violent Youth’s music videos, it is apparent that they are on a journey as the videos continue developing into more complex storylines, which will translate nicely across a wider audience with a shared vision and authenticity. Although the language barrier can present a challenge, The Violent Youth communicates a message I respect, and as such, they get my vote.

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