Record Review: Young Prisms [Friends For Now, Kanine Records]

by Jennifer Graciano

San Francisco based Young Prisms have a superb sound: garage rock with psychedelic undertones, and a bit of pop infused tunes. Their debut full-length “Friends For Now” is filled with sweet melodies, distorted guitar riffs, and general noise that sounds pleasingly frenzied.

Overpowering sounds contained in some songs within “Friends For Now” are abandoned on tracks like “If You Want To” and “Sugar”; both of which are delightful and will most likely be fan favorites for their pop charm. “If You Want To” has a catchy beat with an all too familiar surf rock appeal, restrained vocals repeat lazily “If you want to/If you want to” which sounds a lot like a polished take on Wavves’ early material. “In Your Room” is all about warped sound with hazy vocals that fade in and out alongside some really distorted riffs.

The album follows the same structure for the remaining tracks; either filled with clamor and distortion, or borderline pop with a psychedelic spin. The repetitive lyrics aren't really an issue, hardly decipherable, their lazy demeanor soothed the noisier tracks (“Feel Fine,” “In Your Room,” “All Day Holiday”) to a point where you can actually enjoy what you’re listening to.

For the most part, the album is riddled with heavy guitars and wistful vocals. Never so chaotic that you feel as if you're listening to a completely experimental record, but just enough dissonance to keep it interesting. They do a great job keeping the listener engaged as each track is different than the one before ranging from sluggish jams, to more upbeat and almost danceable tracks. It’s clear Young Prisms take care not to stick to one sound, as they change between tracks consistently and in doing so produced a relatively strong album.

Sugar

Feel Fine