NOT A PROTOTYPE! - Waste Youth
Description: Waste Youth is not a prototype! Read about this unique punk duo and their ability to be some of the coolest thrashers in the scene.
Picture this: a drummer and a bassist come on stage. You sort of pause and ask yourself, “where’s the rest of the band?” You then see the microphone at the drums and a crazy looking pedalboard for the bass—you realize this is the band. And then the music starts. You start to question where all the layers of noise are coming from and notice it’s probably the first time you’re hearing these instruments being used to their full potential, which is something you don’t come across often. Generally underappreciated, the drums and bass are instruments you tend to see as sort-of carriers within a full ensemble, but Waste Youth is a band that shines a spotlight on them (with some killer vocals alongside it).
Listen, a bit of a corny way to set the scene, but I think it’s kind of an ode to Waste Youth because their marketing is theatrical and silly and it’s just another thing I love about them. I’ll just start off by saying this band will change the way you look at drums, bass, vocals, the range of punk as a genre, and leave an impression on you that you won’t be able to stop thinking about. Waste Youth is not to be undermined—they are a duo that pack a punch and give you some of the coolest garage punk you’ve ever heard with just two instruments and vocals.
Waste Youth somehow does this thing where all elements of their songs go together, but it’s also as if they can be their own songs, a sort-of comedic 3 in 1 but I think it’s really cool. Isolating vocals and both instruments feels like they can exist on their own, but putting it all together just makes all the elements melt together into one performance. Next time you give them a listen try and isolate everything in your head—it’s pretty cool once you hear it. Hearing the music alone without watching them perform also makes you think there’s a full band going on. I know that all sounds contradictory—two instruments that sound isolated, but still go together, but also sound like a full band—what can I say, that’s Waste Youth for you.
Before I get into the music itself I’d love to touch on Waste Youth as a band in all its aspects—marketing being one of them. Their Instagram connects with their audience in a really fun way and I love bands that are able to create a fanbase with a theme attached to it. One of my favourite bands, Avatar, their motto is quite literally that they’re too fun to take things seriously—and I get the same vibe with Waste Youth. But don’t let that fool you, there is still an incredible amount of effort that goes into making a fun persona around your band, and you can tell just from their promotional content, even the most imaginative ideas come to life with this duo.
There is no limit with Waste Youth; get ready for story arcs you’ll want to follow as they come out, costumes, sarcasm, silliness, cryptic messages, and videos to fuel your nightmares. You might also get a threat from the goblin hand to buy their merch (you should). This point is merely to gas them up even more but I think their designs are some of the coolest. Have you seen their stickers? Yeah.
In other words, it’s nothing short of an artform in itself. I think an interesting part of their marketing is that it’s impersonal enough so you can focus on the music, but personal enough to give the band a personality. While marketing and social aspects of bands and music are seen as integral parts of the process, Waste Youth not only puts the fun in it but also demonstrates a further passion for what they do, and I think it’s part of my duty to recognize and put an emphasis on it so you can appreciate it just as much. It is a mistake to overlook efforts of something as seemingly small as an Instagram post because it plays a role in the budget as much as anything else, and as supporters of local scenes it is also part of our jobs to spread the word. Waste Youth gives the perfect formula to strengthen the connections they’ve already made and give the opportunity for us to further share their art.
Waste Youth has completely changed my perspective on the bass as an instrument, and how impressive it is to sing, scream and drum at the same time. I promise you will be mesmerized watching this band if you ever hit up one of their shows. Watching the bassist do their thing is incredible, not only through all the pedals that I don’t even know what each does at this point, but the sheer technique of it all. It is an aspect of the song that is able to be simultaneously hardcore and melodic, clever and witty, and creative and entrancing. Then there’s the drums that make their songs absolute thrashers. Every drum sequence is immediate head-banging material, while the bass is able to keep a melody to compliment it. The drummer also happens to be the vocalist, and while I could go on forever about the technique that comes with doing two complex things at once (and doing them well), they add a texture that makes the songs full and give it character. The bass always creates a colourful layer with its riffs, the drums a thrasher, and the vocals are punk as fuck (I was contemplating the swearing in a formal review but I realized I could totally make the rules here). There aren’t enough descriptions I can make to illustrate the music and its essence. In punk terms: they’re disgusting!
Waste Youth’s live sets will give you seamless transitions in between songs, some really nice moments of appreciation, jokes and an experience. Not to mention seeing huge smiles across the band’s faces, which gives that energy directly back to you in the audience. It isn’t a question whether or not they’re having fun on stage, because they are, the rest is up to you to make your experience as a listener just as exciting. The only rule during a Waste Youth set is to enjoy it as much as they do.
Make sure to add Waste Youth’s latest single “BFF” twice to your playlist because the only thing about it is that I wish it was longer. When I say that Waste Youth is some of the best thrashers in the scene this song utterly captures that element—one listen you’ll wish you were in the middle of a crowd at that moment. It opens up with the activity of the wonderful decorative vase (see, we already have inside jokes) that they were giving away during their promotion of this single, which seamlessly transitions into the drums and the rest of the song. The bass leans more into that hardcore essence it is able to carry, and it’s got these cool breakdowns that happen to mirror the vocals, and drums create the varying dynamics. The screaming in this song really carries and guides it, while I feel like the rest of their discography is steered more by the instruments. Yes: all of this and more happens in under two minutes.
Unreleased singles that can only be found through their live EP Live at the Mule Spinner on Bandcamp, my personal favourites are “Hounds” and “9 Lives.” The melodies just do something to me in those songs, and on top of that they are just so cool to me. These two definitely uncover their cleverness and wittiness. Waste Youth’s riffs can be sort of wacky in a good way. Per a lot of my other pieces, part of music is that there is so much I could explain but not enough until you actually listen to it. It’s unexpected but you end up understanding and falling for it right away.
Waste Youth is humorous and thrilling as much as they are captivating, impressive and inspiring. You might think a duo with two falsely limiting instruments is a prototype, but they are far from one—in all areas. Sometimes you don’t need a ton of profound emotion for a band’s music to connect with you; Waste Youth is one of my favourites in the scene because their emotions are shown with a ton of punk, noise, and… more noise. Their impression on me is long-lasting—no matter how many times I see them I am transported, immersed and floored. With energy as contagious as Waste Youth’s, do not miss the chance to see them if they perform near you!
Check out Waste Youth’s live EP and socials:
Support your local music scene!
Not A Prototype is a section where I talk about local bands in the Greater Toronto Area and how their refined sounds aren't just a prototype.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home