Review: The Young Something's Colorful Debut 'About This'

St. Petersburg newcomers The Young Something are set to officially release their debut EP About This on Wednesday, a major landmark for them after much-deserved hype from local music lovers from both the Tampa Bay area and beyond. One listen to the four-track platter of sonically pleasing melodies melded with exemplary vocals will give virtually any listener a feel for their undeniable potential and talent. From start to finish, About This is an insanely strong EP begging for comparisons to works by artists like Vinyl Theatre that encompass the diverse subgenre of hi-fi indie that borderlines on pop-punk/rock.

The Young Something's debut opens with "Better Friends", which coincidentally is the only song out of the four with lead vocals from Alex Bonyata (the rest having lead vocals from Bella Beyer). Upon first listen, one is blown away by the production quality of the music - especially as compared to other bands of their feather that have taken a few tries to find the sweet spot between underproduced and overproduced. "Better Friends" is easily an anthemic song that implores its fans to scream the melodically triumphant chorus: "'Cause you only live once; truth be told I want to run from here, but I'll stay for now."

The switch from "Better Friends" to "Red" is one of the starker transitions in About This, but The Young Something pull it off pretty cleanly. The microphone is passed to Beyer for this song and the rest of the EP. "Red" is distinct due to its slower, reflective nature. The chorus is reminiscent of something that would play during a slow dance, with the whole song conjuring up feelings of nostalgia. Guitar work from Bonyata displays a beautiful range of the band's capability and is complemented with a drum beat that helps make the song stand out.

"Wrong With Me", the following track on About This, progresses from a moody, bass-laden intro and verse to a climaxing beg by Beyer in the chorus: "So tell me what's wrong with me, wrong with me," repeated over and over. Despite the weight of these lyrics and the similarly heavy musicality, "Wrong With Me" still makes itself out to be a catchy song and will likely be a fan favorite as the EP hits streaming platforms.

The closing song off The Young Something's About This is entitled "Icarus", surely making at least some of us think of the Bastille song of the same name. But, of course, the two songs could not be more different. Beyer's dynamic vocal range is shown in this piece as she weaves the classic tale of Icarus into a modern metaphor of broken wings and inner conflict. It's a smart way to end the EP; the songwriting that went into "Icarus" seems to aim at giving listeners a lasting impression in an interestingly finite way. Be on the lookout for The Young Something as their EP debuts and beyond, and pre-save About This on Spotify here.