Tonight’s Concert Pick: Youth Lagoon at Kung Fu Necktie

Last week marked the release of Youth Lagoon’s melancholic debut album, The Year Of Hibernation. Trevor Powers, the founder of the solo project, has said, “I don’t think I could ever write a completely happy album… I just have too many things in my mind that haunt me.” With synth, heavy rhythms, and distant vocals, the album floats in a realm of anxiety-ridden nerves. These manifest in the form of nostalgia and sadness, which are the most prominent themes of The Year Of Hibernation. The specific themes can especially be heard in “Afternoon,” a song whose lyrics obsess over a relentless demon, or in “The Hunt,” which pays homage to Powers’ self-admitted anxiety stating, “I will slur my words back I don’t know what they say/I have a sickness in my head that won’t go away.” Youth Lagoon is a homegrown project with a Bon Iver-esque sound whose debut album plunges much darker and deeper than the bouncy rhythms would lead you to believe. Youth Lagoon performs with Gardens And Villa at 8 p.m. at Kung Fu Necktie; tickets to the 21+ show are $10. —Caitlyn Grabenstein