scottish trio young fathers mix indie, dub, hip-hop, and synth-pop for something truly unique. check out their latest. “i heard.” #soundcheck

There’s something about a song that captures the feel of a house party. Many many have tried, but it’s a tough balance. Too live and it feels amateurish. Too polished and it feels phony. But Young Fathers hit the right mix with their single “Deadline.” It’s built around the most minimal of pieces, a distorted kick drum, a 4 note buzz-saw bassline, and an almost chanted melody. It’s got the hand-made raw chaos of a Death Grips production, but with a kind of hypnotic vocal replacing MC Ride’s street-corner messiah. Everything about it is both perfectly placed, and totally organic. Aggressive, but somehow chill. What I mean to say is, this track is the shit.

Their latest single is the track “I Heard” off their upcoming Tape Two EP. (Their commitment to minimal album names is worthy of Flipper…) It’s much mellower and more polished than the stripped down aggression of the tracks from Tape One. The production is just as densely layered though. Menacing ambient noise maintains tension beneath the otherwise pretty synth-pop. And that video. I haven’t been that freaked out by a video since Aphex Twin. (But in a good way…) You can pre-order Tape Two here.
– Review by Nathan Leigh