Seattle alt-rock band Gypsy Temple just dropped their highly anticipated debut studio LP, King Youngblood. While the album remains true to the band’s self-proclaimed “new generation” alt-rock sound, it fails to produce anything remarkably different from their previous releases. The album’s eleven tracks are individually solid, with some that have nice distinguishing riffs and varied instrumentation. On the whole, however, their shared reliance on heavy noise and melodic lyrics gives the album a borderline boring cohesiveness. While these may be staples of Gypsy Temple’s sound, it feels too seeded in their comfort zone.
The album gets off to an uneventful start with tracks “Heavy Handed” and “2nd Place.” While both are structurally balanced alt-rock pieces that incorporate consistent backing beats and solid instrumental bridges, neither offers any new sounds or styles to the genre — which is something Gypsy Temple has gone on record to say it strives for as a band. The next track, “Today,” would have made a better lead for the album, as it incorporates the stylistic ventures that are missing from the first two tracks. A lengthier rock ballad that differentiates itself through slower verses that are lighter in tone, “Today” has standout guitar and bass playing in its bridge — already a strong feature throughout the album — that is both soulful and high in intensity. The impact of this instrumentation is enhanced by the artful accompaniment of cello player Cory Cavazos.
“Lessons of a Mentor” and “I’m Still Standing” are similar to the introductory tracks in their emphasis on Cameron Lavi-Jones’s vocal abilities and use of short, punchy choruses. The latter, however, is unique in its inclusion of a bridge that utilizes rap verses. While the album proves Gypsy Temple’s secure standing within the alt-rock genre, the inclusion of this section — which, although brief, begs to be remembered for its punctuated style and resilient tone — finally displays their ability to distinguish their sound from that of other similar bands, and, furthermore, their potential to expand their sound.
The standout from King Youngblood is “Pick A Number.” The track has soaring, emotion-laden vocals that are joined by stellar bass playing from Hamoon Milaninia and cacophonous drums from Kai Hill. Lyrics such as “I don’t know where I’m going / but I’m not lost at all” are earnest and reassuring in their assertion that there’s more to life than knowing the next step and we should instead find enjoyment in finding our way as we go. It’s clear from the power behind his voice that Lavi-Jones is pouring his heart into this track; he’s giving listeners a message (or several) that he desperately wants them to hear.
The following track, “Up Becomes Down,” references the band’s commitment to mental health advocacy; in late April, Gypsy Temple launched their Hold Your Crown campaign to support youth living with mental illness. The campaign, which exists in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Health, launched in early May as part of national Mental Health Month. Backed by a rhythmic intertwining of drum beats and bass, lyrics such as “whenever up becomes down / I’ll be there holding your crown” — which served as inspiration in naming the campaign — emphasize the importance of supporting your friends and family through whatever struggles they may face.
The remainder of the album’s tracks are uniform in their upbeat, punchy style. “Gypsy Temple” is a celebration of the band and its love for making music, but “Forget About It” is a raging, self-empowerment anthem that, unfortunately, loses itself in blaring noise. “King Youngblood” continues to bring the loud energy but doesn’t do anything special in terms of production or style to warrant being the title track, and the album closes out with the lengthy “Lay in the Ground,” which wraps powerful vocals and instrumentation into a strong, but not particularly stunning conclusion.
King Youngblood is a solid, though relatively unremarkable debut album from Gypsy Temple. Its tracks are well-produced and fit the standard conventions of the alt-rock genre; however, the album falls back on lyrics that, while reflecting an effort on the part of the band to explore underrepresented, recently politicized topics such as mental health and gender fluidity, fail to leave a memorable impression on listeners. Ultimately, it’s the album’s tendency to rely on familiar sounds and styles that causes it to land short of remarkable. Hopefully, on future releases, Gypsy Temple will expand upon the few stylistic departures it took on King Youngblood to better deliver its timely, thought-provoking lyrics.
King Youngblood
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