Chloe Watts – @chloeyasart Manchester School of Art
This issue of So Young is released in the centre of festival season - a period where new releases have become more sporadic, and bands are more focused on unfolding and refolding their pop up tents. Is it possible? One band making the most of the ‘quiet’ Summer period is Sorry. The London group had their debut album touring plans ground to a halt by the pandemic and they’ll be looking to make up for that around the release of new record, ‘Anywhere But Here’. In our most open conversation with the band to date, Asha voices frustration with social media, hollow culture and shares a passion for Film - even if it is shittier than it used to be. Following a lockdown period of self re-discovery, Crack Cloud have been touring for the last three months. As the Vancouver collective gear up for the release of new album, ‘Tough Baby’, vocalist/drummer, Zach Choy took our call to dig deep into the philosophy that surrounds the album. Really deep. ‘God Save the Animals’ is the upcoming album from Alex G and for this new record he’s let more people in. We jumped on Zoom to gain a tighter grasp on what’s changed, the influence of faith and how previous releases can play as uncomfortably as reading an old journal. Back in the UK, The Big Moon are another band whose album was stopped in its tracks over the lockdown period. Not ones to dwell, they’re back with another, titled ‘Here Is Everything’ and we spoke to Jules and Celia about the baby/band balance and jamming with Courtney Love over Zoom. Hebden Bridge is home to proud Northern band, The Lounge Society. Via Speedy underground, the four piece are readying themselves to release their debut album, ‘Tired of Liberty’. We touch base to chat being political without the need for statements, and finding the balance between capturing the live essence and meticulous production.
4 Alex G God Save the Animals 7 Been Stellar Manhattan Youth 14 Sorry Let The Lights On 19 AUB GradList 2022 Arts University Bournemouth 24 The Big Moon Here Is Everything 31 Crack Cloud Tough Baby
Staying in the North, we are getting excited about the new Manchester band, Maruja. Fusing punk with jazz, the band’s releases to date have been snippets of hour-long jam sessions - giving us the best bits, or at least their favourite bits at that moment. Full of confidence that good things are ahead, the band share their comfort with temporary side hustles and pour water on the myth of a Manchester music scene. New York is home to Been Stellar, however they’ve spent a good chunk of the last few months in the UK and Europe. In the lead up to the release of their debut EP, the five piece have sold out shows in London and caused a riot at Paris’ Supersonic. With the foundations now laid, we dig into the ‘real’ New York that their self-titled EP references so heavily. The final interviews in this issue split the UK in two. In Glasgow, we welcome Comfort back to our pages. Newly signed to Fat Cat Records, with whom they’ll be releasing an EP in August, the two piece touch on the integrity of AI Tools, the industry opportunity gap between London and home, plus the likelihood of Ed Sheeran being a landlord. On the South Coast, we introduce Cowboyy who are about to share their debut sounds with Nice Swan, and London’s C Turtle who we’ve been playing on repeat since hearing ‘This is Not Karate’. We are excited to partner with the Arts University Bournemouth for our third annual GradList feature and to show off some of 2022’s graduates from the Illustration course in print for the first time. As well as linking up with AUB, we’ve also selected some of our favourite Illustration graduates from various courses. These are scattered throughout the magazine. Look out for the ‘Selects’ sticker.
37 The Lounge Society Tired of Liberty 42 C Turtle This is Not Karate 46 Comfort My Bias 50 Maruja Blind Spot 53 Cowboyy Google Maps
We are excited to partner with the Arts University Bournemouth for the third year and to select and show off some of 2022’s graduates from the Illustration course. The work chosen ranges from Risograph prints and 3D Animation to kitsch ornament sculptures. We caught up with the selected illustrators to get an insight into their work and highlight some of our favourite pieces.
Charlie Riddle – @charlieriddleillustration
Katrina Sadovnikova – @katrinasadovnikova
Owen Cox – @owen.a.cox
Maia Arstad – @moioillustrations
Maia Flavell – @maiaflaiart
Pav Mateeva – @pav.mateeva
João Levezinho – @joo.kye
Gabriele Favaretto – @gabriele3disasters
Louise Bassou – @louise.bassou.creations
Paemika Jianpinitnan – @puay.ay
If you say you want to be a musician here it’s almost like
We obviously have no interest in being stinking rich or
an admission of guilt – people would be like “WHAT?!”.
becoming landlords. Ed Sheeran is definitely a landlord…
N: It lends into our sound because when you come from
S: Funnily enough a lot of people ask us whether we use
where we did it’s a far more radical act to try and make it
backing tracks, implying our sound has less integrity
when everyone around you is telling you it’s a shocking
because it has no real instruments. We’ve always laughed
idea. That gives us a strength to be like, we’re going out
at that so it’s never been something that’s bothered us.
on a limb as it is by doing this, so we might as well go as
People say music AI tools lack integrity but you should be
deep into ourselves as possible.
able to use them however you like.
Does that identity which you describe influence your
Natalie, is there ever any self-consciousness which goes
scepticism of major social media brands such as Meta?
along with your lyrics?
N: That’s something I’ve thought about a lot. Up to a point
N: I suffer from OCD which can make things really
you can use them as tools to promote social causes. But
difficult, but the true part within me definitely thinks
ultimately, the entire system itself needs to come down.
fuck it, I need to say this. I can recognise that it’s an
The people who chase the cash always end up neglecting
anxiety which I’m dealing with in my life. I write from
what they started out saying. For us, social media is just
a perspective where I just encounter things, read about
a tool to get the message out. I’ll never be pro Meta, it’s
things or feel things and think, I want a really banging
a terrible company. It’s ridiculous the power these sorts
tune to explain it. I would also be totally open to any
of companies have now. I think all these platforms should
criticism about what I’m saying. If someone thinks I’m
be publicly owned because at the moment there is no
going about anything in a clumsy way I’d always listen.
accountability for the people who run them, they can do
I’m not standing on a pedestal thinking that I’m the voice
whatever they want… and they do.
of a generation, I’m just trying to express my point of view as honestly as possible. As long as I feel what I’m
So, does a loss of integrity and success go hand in
putting out is honest I can’t complain really, that’s what
hand?
it’s all about. If I can achieve that, then I’m happy.
N: I think it only does if you attribute success to yourself.
Finally, Boris’ resignation, a chance for change?
Everyone who has achieved or done anything is part of a community which helps lead to that success. In terms of
S: A chance to change who’s sitting in the seat, that’s
the cash, if you’re a millionaire, you’re full of shite as far
literally it. I read that the climate is super low on the
as I’m concerned. You don’t need all that money.
government’s priority list right now which is just crazy. It absolutely should be. They just think people are idiots.
S: Any challenge to someone’s personal or political integrity can be forgotten about pretty quickly now with
N: That sums it up for me, what Sean said. No politician
fast paced press. So, I don’t think it matters to people
is even touching the toes of a radical politics we need to
anymore, to be honest. In terms of our music, a lot of
actually get shit done. It’s just going to be some other
Nat’s lyrics are things which people have said to her, and
absolute posh, entitled psychopath running the country
so in that sense we will always have that honesty and
and god knows what they’re gonna do! The most we can
integrity. That’s where the power lies for us.
hope from this is that it radicalises more people to think fuck it, it’s time to get in the street. Politicians are all too
And what about within the music industry itself?
busy trying to be prime minister. It’s like a Tory gap year being prime minister these days. ‘Tick that off the to-do
N: I don’t worry too much about the state of the industry
list, I’ll hit up the speaker circuit and make a cheeky half a
because let’s face it, it’s always been a cash cow.
million a day’. It’s a joke!”
You can either go for that or try and resist it. 47
Comfort
Artists
Josh Whettingsteel Chloe Watts
Molly Russon Xinyue Song
Gabriele Favaretto Ugne Petreikyte
Editors Sam Ford
Josh Whettingsteel
Writers Sam Ford
Reuben Cross Leo Lawton
Poppy Richler Laura Pegler Al Mills
Eve Boothroyd Elvis Thirlwell Charlie Brown
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Special Thanks Al Mills
Jamie Ford
Cameron JL West Jack Reynolds
Hannah Cal
Gabriel Hollington Martyna Grądziel Octavia Inns
Katrina Sadovnikova Charlie Riddle Maia Arstad
Pav Mateeva Owen Cox
Maia Flavell
Paemika Jianpinitnan João Levezinho Louise Bassou
Cameron JL West
Bug Shepherd-Barron Rocky Beeson Chi Park
Luca Schenardi
David Pitucardi REN
Art Direction
www.joshwhettingsteel.com
Cover Photos
Peter Eason Daniels
Photos for Collage Chris Maggio
Naz Kawakami Alex Evans
Ele Marchant
Fahim Kassam Silva Coco
Alexi Panidis