Gente Joven (2)

Gente Joven are a breath of fresh air in the Spanish indie pop scene, even though their enigmatic and melancholic pop is unconsciously infused with sounds from a not too distant past. Think of early Slowdive, The Cure, Galaxie 500, The Magnetic Fields, Cocteau Twins or Spanish cult bands Sr. Chinarro, Silvania or Family. Their sophomore album, Casa de Socorro, is an emotional roller coaster that takes you from despair right through to hope. The title references Spanish government-run houses of the 19th century that provided shelter, food and education to orphans and homeless people, with the aim of helping them become self-sufficient and find work. Gente Joven took their name from a Spanish TV talent show from the 70's and 80's. Their first four songs appeared on their Bandcamp page in the summer of 2013, already showing the main ingredients of their characteristic sound: obscure pop filled with ambient textures with Spanish-language lyrics and vocals. These self-produced songs were later added to with other four more to complete "I, II, III y IV", their debut album published by the Discos de Kirlian label. Casa de Socorro’s songs are bitter and dark, but at the same time are as bright as a flashlight on an apocalyptic night. A sound that can be broadly defined as melancholic shoegaze, with a gravitational pull of such force it overcomes all of its plausible influences. There is a sense of loss present throughout the album: a yearning for times, feelings and sensations we can no longer grasp and can only seek to evoke and recreate. The aftertaste, however, is one of resilience -a feeling stronger than anything an uncertain smile or repressed tears can express.