Self proclaimed dad rockers, Gang of Youths have released their debut album, The Positions, which was inspired by lead singer, David Le'aupepe's, trials and tribulations throughout the four year long relationship he had with a girl who was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Starting out with the gentle but building, 'Vital Signs', a slow building Americana feeling track that finishes in a growly, gritty and raw fashion. This slow and building style is consistent with the entirety of the album, each song in their own way. The track actually reminds me quite a deal of Kings of Leon's 'Knocked Up', in both sound, and length, as the track plays for a bit over 7-minutes. Now this might be considered long by song standards, however, it never once, nor does the remainder of the album, overstay it's welcome. The following 4 tracks ('Poison Drum', 'The Diving Bell' and 'Restraint & Release') follow this same richly layered and textured building technique and then - boom, we reach 'Magnolia', track number 5, right smack in the middle of the album, and then suddenly the tempo changes to completely sombre and follows through the remaining half of the album ('Kansas', 'Knuckles White Dry', 'Radioface', 'Sjamboksa') right until the end track, 'The Overpass', which takes on an almost The Killers' Brandon Boyd type vocals and is really the perfect end to the entire album, as it takes you to a beautiful, isolated place.
