The experience of Youth Lagoon’s latest album, “Rarely Do I Dream“, embraces sentimentality and memory, but the project is not gobsmacked by melancholy. Rather, it’s a collection of music filled with kind self-reflection and hopeful imagination, as Trevor Powers approaches the totality of life through small, digitized and grainy moments, showcasing and scattering them across irresistible melodies and buttery piano leads propelled by infectious drumming. The field recordings of him and his family, including his brother Bobby, become a compositional element and ground the surreal character portrayals in vibrant snapshots of childhood, forming the foundation for Powers to, once again, reinvent Youth Lagoon.
Above the found audio lies Powers’ most sonically diverse album to date, injecting the smooth atmosphere of 2023’s “Heaven Is a Junkyard” with fuzzy synthesizers, reverb-drenched guitar leads and infinitely groovy basslines. “Heaven Is a Junkyard” was a fresh return to Youth Lagoon after Powers had abandoned the project, replacing lo-fi bedroom pop with crystal clear percussion—drums, bass and serene piano layers floating atop every song. It’s a wonderful listen that lives forever in its pillowy atmosphere, whereas “Rarely Do I Dream” changes channels almost every song, flipping a switch to a new scene.
The Fat Angel Sings 