ALBUM REVIEW: Youth Novel – I Went Through This Experience Smiling

‘…an essential listen for screamo fans, blistering in its ferocity and rich in its depth…’

The journey to Youth Novel’s sophomore record has been quite the roller-coaster. Having formed back in 2012, the Michigan based outfit had put out a collection of short form releases and played plenty of live shows with a shifting line-up, before dissolving during the production of their debut LP in 2017. In 2020, guitarist Maya Chun picked up the remains of their record, and alongside vocalist Nathan Whittle, and their eponymous debut would be released in 2021, before the band entered another period of silence.

Members of the band would go on to work on Heaven’s Blinding Hue (formerly known as ‘Heavenly Blue‘), and in 2024 would release ‘We Have The Answer‘, a challenging and ferocious torrent of black gaze. Now, at long last, Youth Novel have returned with a brand new record that takes a dive into the darkest recesses of the human psyche, and the extremes that this darkness can push us towards. The result is a vicious screamo record with an ethereal, bio-mechanical undertone.

‘Mallory-Weiss‘ is ripped open with searing, post-hardcore riffs, before barrelling forwards with frenzied vocals and earth-rending bass lines from brand new vocalist and multi-instrumentalist JD. The back half packs some particularly incredible drum work that rips through the listener like machine gun fire. ‘Blood in the Sand‘ is an industrial toned behemoth of a number, as complex, snappy rhythms dance atop of undulating, swaggering bass lines, whilst haunting vocal harmonies soften the visceral edges of the central screams.

Moments of mournful beauty frequently peak through the cacophonous, swirling rage that the record predominantly presents with. ‘Identifying Marks’ commences with a shimmering and ethereal instrumental, before ramping up towards an inferno of screamo, only pausing for a brief, jazzy meditation of glittering guitar work. The title track exists as an unsettling, discordant combination of glitching electronics, screeching feedback, and warm baths of synth. These moments of pause only serve to make the aggression all that more palpable when it strikes, and elevates the record tenfold as such.

The production is raw and cutting throughout, permitting every snare strike and every visceral riff to hit right at your very bones; it often feels as though Youth Novel are directly in front of your very face, despondent and confrontational in their unbridled aggression. ‘Violence’ rips through you as a sonic rampage, whilst ‘Mecha Codeine’ sweeps and dives through spiralling torrents of post-hardcore fury. There is catharsis to be found in the bleakness.

The momentum only continues to build as the record rallies towards a gut-wrenching climax. ‘Saunter Forth’ alternates between hurricane blasts of screamo and gorgeously composed, pensive emo, whilst ‘Your Nuclear Dream’ commences with a whirlwind of screamed vocals fixated on an apex of discordant riffs, before sprawling outwards into one final, crushing ode to self-sabotage. Untamed and wild-eyed, Youth Novel bring their record to a close with a decisive abruptness, before fading away with the static. It is jarring to behold, but feels apt for a record that centralises discomfort and abrasiveness.

For a band that has had quite the unconventional run up until this point, it is hard to decipher what the future of Youth Novel will be. In spite of whether this record represents the start of a brand new chapter for this band, or simply an essential exercise in creative catharsis, what Youth Novel have composed makes for an essential listen for screamo fans, blistering in its ferocity and rich in its depth. What they have to give to the scene is essential and impactful.

RATING: 75/100

For Fans Of: Cainhurst, Algae Bloom, State Faults, Dreamwell, Lure In

Physical copies are available to purchase here.

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Bandcamp