Baltimore alt rockers Diamond Youth clearly have a certain aesthetic when it comes to the music they produce and play. Their music may certainly remind you of all things summer; sea, sand, sunshine and perhaps even romance, so their debut album Nothing Matters proves to be the perfect soundtrack as we’re rolling in to those warmer months. The style is reminiscent of bands like Weezer, and lead singer Justin Gilman has vocals that definitely give Dave Grohl a run for his money, but influences aside, there’s no doubt that Diamond Youth have produced something unique and very much their own.
While that element of rock is there, proving that Diamond Youth have no problem with proving their worth, a lot of the tracks are soothing and dreamy above anything else, and will give even the greatest self-proclaimed homebody a wanderlust itch to travel. The retro approach to their music is brilliant and brings dimension to songs like ‘Far Away From Earth‘ and ‘In The Clouds‘.
Diamond Youth’s tracks are, above all, approachable and personal to the point where listeners can most definitely come to relate to the lyrics, but stay for the spellbinding melodies that will have you thinking you’re in 1960’s California and The Beach Boys are all the rage. ‘Riptide‘, a track that with its name alone gives you some idea of the image the quartet are wanting to paint with this record, is a quieter, gentle jam – the kind that you find on most albums to try and break things down and show off the band’s versatility. In this case, it works, and you may not be able to avoid jumping as the track fades in to silence and is followed by ‘No Control‘ which has things reverting back to full-bodied performances.
If you didn’t know any better, you would surely not believe that this is the debut album from Diamond Youth. The high level of performance, production and overall put-togetherness is beyond impressive, and so listeners will only be able to imagine what the band will do next if they’re already to this standard.
