Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy

Alternative – February 3, 2023 – 10 songs, 32 mins

ROZ

For our second review of the new year, the TSR crew once again picks an unknown: Young Fathers. The Scottish Trio composed of Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and ‘G’ Hastings has been making waves throughout the UK; winning numerous “Scottish Album of the Year” awards and making their climb up the UK charts with every new effort. With an overall sound that is both unfamiliar to me and damn near impossible to put a finger on, Heavy Heavy lives up to its title in more ways than one. 

Here is a case where every song seemingly squeezes in two or three different musical styles at once - whether its rock, pop, hip hop, traditional, dance or electronica - there is rarely a dull moment throughout Heavy Heavy’s thirty-two minute run time. With Rice, the listener is met with an absolute cacophony of noise - a mixture of upbeat drums, guitars, sustained harmonies, bellowing low octave voicings and catchy vocal hooks that mix cultural elements from both Scottish and African roots. I Saw comes next, itself leaning into a heavier rock-type sound akin to The Black Keys or a younger Arctic Monkeys - catchy phrasing that is quickly trailed by distorted, chugging guitars and vocal ad libs. Drum keeps the energy at pace, with quick staccato hand claps being paired nicely with a myriad of vocal layers and other various instruments, building its energy slowly - almost methodically - much as one would do while climbing up a steep passage.

 If Drum is the climb, Tell Somebody is the freefall at the end - a somber, reverb-soaked experience backed by orchestral arrangements. The band really begins to experiment as Shoot Me Down kicks in, where clever sampling and beat juggling collides with an almost industrial rock-type sound. The fast tempo, electronica styled backdrop of Holy Moly reminds me of an earlier 2000’s outfit, something akin to The Postal Service or a similar electronica band from that era. The closing song, Be Your Lady, seems to go even further back; mixing piano driven melodics with even more industrial elements, as if it were pulled off of a Moby B-side from back in the 90’s. This serves as the final ascent out of the madness that is this entire listening experience.

This is by no means a radio-friendly sound, but so what? As with previous ‘outside the box’ artists that we’ve reviewed here at Too Sweet Reviews, Young Fathers pay no heed to genres and bend them at their will to match whatever manic energy they bring into the studio on that given day. While this method may lead to the maximization of organic, raw output, it also gives way to an overall product that lacks a certain focus that many great albums in this category are able to achieve. With that being said, Heavy Heavy lives up its name with its quick yet extremely dense song structure and its hard hitting lyricism. The creativity throughout the album makes listening worthwhile and its short run time makes the decision a no-brainer.

Overall Rating: 7.8/10

Favourite Song: Holy Moly

LUNDI

‘Something for everyone’ is a vague and over used term to describe music. I’m guilty of it so this is no call out. It’s just a descriptor that often works. In the case of Young Fathers and their fourth studio album, Heavy Heavy, the sentiment certainly rings true. But the flip side is there as well. Flashes of brilliance weighed down by questionable moments. 

Heavy Heavy is an intense introduction to a new band. It’s a whole lot to unpack. You simply will not hear this band on your local radio station. And even after double digit listens it remains hard to pin down exactly what this album strives to be. Young Fathers feel almost genreless as the word eclectic springs to mind repeatedly throughout the 10 tracks. HH is joyous and gospel like, brimming with chants and rhythms deep rooted in African culture. It’s hooks are massive, celebratory and damn catchy. The album bursts out of the gates with standouts Rice and I Saw with highlights Sink or Swim and Holy Moly supporting the strong record closure. The album’s production is spot on with a cohesive nature and tedious layering ever so apparent. 

Heavy Heavy though does succumb to its own massive ideas at points. Going for broke on every song creates cracks in the album. When HH is at its best you could see it topping year end charts, but when it’s at its worst it sounds like listening to Imagine Dragons. Young Fathers seem to trip up as they sway too far to the pop world (Drum/Geronimo) or become overly politically charged (Shoot Me Down). You have to respect the bands mentality of never being satisfied though because at the end of the day the failures are worth the successes. 

Young Fathers go for broke on Heavy Heavy. It’s celebratory, joyous and nothing like you’re currently listening to today. While some tracks immediately get the skip button, the greatness at the heart of the album is certainly worth a place in your playlists. 

Overall Rating: 7.4/10

Favourite Song: Holy Moly

REID

Two days after love day, it’s time for TSR’s first review of a 2023 album! The honour goes to a Scottish trio by the name of Young Fathers, with their fourth studio album, Heavy Heavy. Like I do all the time, I downloaded and jumped in feet first without knowing a thing about the artist or their style. In a word, it’s different. Classifying them with a single genre is next to impossible. If I had my time back, I would’ve approached it from another angle. Hopefully these thoughts are a useful primer.

Alloysius Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and Graham ‘G’ Hastings are the three men behind the music. All have deep roots in Edinburgh, where they grew up and formed Young Fathers in 2008. Their roots go much deeper as Alloysius was born in Liberia and Kayus is the son of two Nigerian parents. These rich cultural backgrounds bring a wealth of musical taste and ambition and the trio chooses to embrace it rather than shy away.

Stevie Chick interviewed the band and wrote an excellent article for The Guardian touching on this exact subject. The guys have been dealing with the weird label for years. Bankole says “People tell us, ‘It’s too rocky for us’. Or ‘It’s too hip hop for us.’ So everyone just pushes us away.” Massaquoi adds ‘We don’t think our music is weird…This is the pop music we want to listen to.’ And isn’t that, right there, what it’s all about? Doing what makes you happy? The guys found their niche and aren’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers along the way.

And ruffle they do.

Instrumentally, Heavy Heavy immerses you in bass and percussion-led groove, particularly the first three songs and Holy Moly. Pace is often kept with clapping, various ou’s or other chants leading to a mostly wholesome sound. Tasteful synth and piano provide a nice touch on Ululation, Be Your Lady and others. There’s certainly a mixed bag vocally. The band raps, sings, speaks, shouts... you name it. To be honest with you, I comprehended very little in the beginning. A read along of the lyrics helped.

The members of Young Fathers aren’t afraid of making mistakes and the album isn’t without them. Shoot Me Down and Sink Or Swim border on unlistenable. Many of the effects added to the vocals throughout just flat out sound bad. The multi-edited lead and backing delivery at 1:47 of Shoot Me Down or the strange effect at 1:31 of Holy Moly are examples. When something literally makes your ears hurt in the middle of the song, it’s hard to stick around for the rest.

Before I wrap things up, here’s a mental health moment. After 7-10 days of listening, I still feel very out-of-touch with the music and lyrical content of Heavy Heavy. At the end of the day, I think it’s normal as I live and grew up on a part of the world with a much different culture and set of circumstances. Except for the song, Tell Somebody. I don’t know the full context but the lyrics beg for a loved one to speak up when struggling. It’s a beautiful song and message. Simply put, mental health has no boundaries. Take care of yourself and tell somebody when the going gets tough.

The sound and approach by Young Fathers is polarizing but the trio would have it no other way. The mix of soul, rock, hip hop and pop onHeavy Heavy creates a truly unique experience. It’s not my taste and it may not be yours but it’s always interesting to hear things done differently.

Overall Rating: 7.0/10

Favourite Song: Rice