Eponymous debut a sincere hit

Young Statues, an indie rock band, understand the importance of relatable lyrics, as seen in its eponymous debut album, released Nov. 8.

Formed just one year ago during winter 2010, Young Statues have come a long way. When the band, comprised of longtime friends hailing from New Jersey and Philadelphia, first began recording, it had no intentions of releasing any tracks. As the members became more involved in the recording process, the record became a serious project.

The band has emerged from the Philadelphia music scene, home to bands like Circa Survive and Valencia, with an 11-track album released by Run for Cover Records.

This release is not the first time people have been exposed to Young Statues’ music. During the past year, the band gradually released singles online for listeners to get a taste of its music.

The band pre-released two tracks on bandcamp.com and has since gained a decent following.

Young Statues are best described as the love child of Death Cab for Cutie, Band of Horses and Transit.

Similar to those bands, Young Statues have great control and levels between each instrument, which allows the music to come off as fluid and easy-going.

“Spacism” sets the initial tone of the album. It’s upbeat, but manages a mellow vibe that most indie bands are great at capturing. Singer Carmen Cirignano has a smooth vocal quality that compliments the contrast between the electric guitar and the light strumming of an acoustic guitar that bolster the track. The electric guitar is always on the upper level of each song, but when listening closely, the acoustic guitar is less prominent, adding an underlying texture.

The second track, “Athens” is driven by percussion. The drum part is far from complicated, but still hits hard. It provides a solid backbone for the song.

Some bands have a tendency to lack diversity from song to song when recording a cohesive album. Young Statues are on the borderline of falling into the same trap. Fortunately, the band prevents the record from being too monotonous by experimenting with sound.

“Pretty Girls Make Raves” and “Your Seasons Stay The Same” stand out from the rest of the album. Differing from the more tranquil tracks, they both have quicker tempos.

According to Alternative Press magazine’s “Track by Track” with Cirignano, “Your Seasons Stay The Same” is “more in-your-face.”

For example, the slow “Half Light” utilizes a continuous harmonic slide in the background, adding an alluring spark to the song.

“Losing a Friend” and “We Trusted Everything Enough,” similarly can best be described as spacious. The band does not compact a ton of intricate patterns together, letting the sounds aerate for the listener’s pleasure.

The less compact music allots more space for the melodic sounds of the guitar to be drawn out and for the bassist to pluck out full and interesting progressions — a technique used throughout the entire album.

Another effective technique is the way Cirignano sings. His voice is muddied with echoes in each track, but it’s artistically effective and comprehensible. He doesn’t let his singing become too slurred or lazy-sounding at any point in the album.

The clearness is essential for the album’s serious topics. Lyrically, the song writing is sincere and honest.

Each song deals with internal issues people might go through day to day. From songs about snapping oneself out of a negative mindset to owning up to personal problems, it covers a lot that might not be easy for people to openly discuss.

This is illustrated in “We Trusted Everything Enough.” Cirignano called the song a “reference to how drastic and different things become as you transition from a child into a young adult” in his interview with Alternative Press.

“We Trusted” pays respect to the teenagers of Cherry Hill, N.J. — a place with a high suicide rate, according to Cirignano. Growing up in Cherry Hill, Cirignano knew kids who chose to end their lives, including one of his close friends.

Recognizing that Young Statues have only been together for a year, the band’s debut is impressive and a good indication of what will come in the future if it continues down the same path.

Young Statues are gearing up for a short tour in the U.K. in November and will open for The Early November, Hit the Lights and The Dangerous Summer in New Jersey at the end of the month.

Young Statues is currently  available for download on iTunes.