Indie-rock band, Young the Giant, have just released their new album titled Home of the Strange. While Young the Giant admit that they began writing the album in 2014, before many of the current political nominees even began to cause a fuss, but somehow Young the Giant have managed to make an album that deals with the number one hot button issue in the current political election: immigration.
Front man of the band, Sameer Gahdia, told Rolling Stone, "There's something amazingly beautiful and bizarre and grotesque and great about America that's unlike any other place."
The album features their hit single "Amerika" which plays on the idea of the classic American hero that we all seem to be searching for. More importantly, the sense of foundation that immigrants search for. All five members of Young the Giant are first- generation Americans and based this album off of the idea of establishing the feeling of being American, but holding true and not losing, or as Gahdia puts it "white washing," your heritage and the culture of where your family came from.
The band leaves nothing to the imagination with their dark, honest lyrics. This isn't to say that these songs on the album are sad or depressing. In many ways, it's just the opposite. The lyrics bring a sense of realism to the sometimes high energy, mellow, and childlike tones that the album presents. While it's more than easy to be swept up into the catchy synth and guitar riffs, it's important that listeners actually ponder what the lyrics really point towards.
The second single from the album, "Something to Believe In" topped Alt Nation's charts at number 1 and was widely admired by fans and critics alike. It leaves listeners with a heavy feeling once it's finished, despite it's sing-song nature. With the chorus of the song being belted loud and proud,
"I'll give you something to believe in/burn up a basement full of demons/realize you're a slave to your mind break free."
The band says "We find ourselves searching for our own ethics in between the often-contradictory beliefs of this polarized American Modern Age and those of the romanticized cultures of our forefathers." Eerie, isn't it?
As we approach this upcoming election and new political system, it becomes increasingly apparent and important that we begin to search for deeper connections in the media around us. We do ourselves a disservice when we don't question and interrogate the media that we accept into our lives. Young the Giant have produced an amazing and well-made album, but they've also presented an idea and some personalized insight into an issue that is stumbling America to it's knees. Isn't that worth another, closer listen?
