Reptile Youth – Rivers That Run for a Sea That Is Gone

Hailing from Copenhagen, this up-and-coming indie group have just released their second album, Rivers That Run for a Sea That Is Gone, having built a reputation for themselves as underground musical desperadoes, even before they’d released anything. The buzz around this band is pretty sensational, and has stemmed mostly from their live shows, which have been met with a torrent of critical acclaim.

With an electro-pop undercurrent and sweeping melodies, this is certainly a decent second album. With tracks like Where You End and I Begin, this record is somewhat comparable to the more ambient tracks on the Arctic Monkeys’ most recent album AM, only with a bit less attitude. It is somewhat hard to tell what kind of sound they are aiming for, as from song to song it swings wildly from electro-heavy pop to guitar-heavy punk, which would be all fine and dandy if there were more of an overlap. But there’s not.

It is no surprise that they lead the release of Rivers That Run For a Sea That Is Gone with the release of their meaty and floor-filling single JJ, which along with Colours and Structures, is a real highlight of the album. As a whole, this record could do with a bit more unity and direction, but there is no track that disappoints, which is a lot to be said, especially for a second album. On a side note, if Two Hearts is not a sneaky homage to the Gallifreyan anatomy of Doctor Who, then they really ought to change the name. It’s misleading.

This is clearly a band with potential in spades, so although Rivers That Run for a Sea That Is Gone is a decent and current musical offering, it seems they have a lot more to give their audience. Reptile Youth seem to be undecided on the balance of live instruments and synthesised sound that their music should tread, so there is a minor lack of continuity of sound from track to track – however, hopefully over the next few years they’ll make their cold-blooded minds up. Keep an eye on them, it will probably be worth it.

 

Phoebe Person

Rivers That Run for a Sea That Is Gone was released on 10^th March 2014. For further information or to order the album visit Reptile Youth’s website here.