Jonathan Rado and Sam France are not your typical 22-year-olds. Though the two make up the new band, Foxygen, they are old souls that would much rather listen to an old Rolling Stones record than the latest Animal Collective album. This fascination and love for the music of yesteryear translates onto the duo’s latest LP, We Are The 21^st Century Ambassadors Of Peace And Magic.

The album begins with “In The Darkness,” a tribute to The Kinks that’s driven by piano and rhythm and features France’s soft vocals and trumpet. As with most of Foxygen’s tracks, the arrangement is well thought out and executed precisely, but there’s a sense of quirkiness in the lyrics and execution that proves this band— though it takes itself seriously—is not pretentious.

21^st Century Ambassadors continues with the rambling “No Destruction,” where France vibrantly sings “I’m talking to my grandma who lost her arms in the war / The aliens and armory that bombed her cigar store,” in a Dylan-esque drawl as saloon-tinged keys and acoustic guitar riffs meander along. From there, the record continues on its playful path and ends up at its first single, “San Francisco.” Gracefully strummed guitar and jovial xylophone set the scene as France charmingly describes the city as “where the forest meets the bridge.” The song buoyantly floats from the verse to the bridge to the quote-worthy chorus: “I left my love in San Francisco (that’s OK, I was bored anyway) / I left my love in the room (that’s OK, I was born in L.A.)”

This track rolls into the bluesy, Motown-influenced interlude, “Bowling Trophies,” and then transitions into its second single, “Shuggie,” which is arguably the album’s shining moment. Though the track is funky and catchy, what makes it stand out from the rest is its arrangement. In a mere three minutes and twenty-two seconds, it not only changes tempo a number of times, but also changes structure so drastically that by the end it doesn’t even sound like the same song.

Though Rado and France’s talents are unquestionable, some may find them to be too “recycled.” Yes, they wear their influences on their sleeves, but this is not a copycat band in the slightest. Foxygen finds ways to incorporate sounds from all different genres and eras and seamlessly makes them work in unison, while also adding a bit of an eccentric, blithe flare by way of France’s sometimes nonsensical but always vivacious storytelling-like lyrics. At such a young age, it’s amazing to see how talented these musicians already are and exciting to see what they come up with next.

Like us on Facebook at BestNewBands.com and KatrinaNattress and follow us on Twitter at @BestNewBandscom and @KatrinaNattress