Golden Youth Are Contagiously Effervescent At The Exit/In

Nashville – Golden Youth’s music sounds like the band members’ personalities. From the moment Kyle Monroe and Stephanie Lauren walk onto the stage, they are glowing. They are effervescent. They are thrilled to be there and thrilled that the audience has joined them. They embody the spirit of uplifting pop music that falls somewhere between Jonsi, Bibio, and Frou Frou. In the past several years, Nashville’s music scene has opened its arms to more genres including indie-pop. Lucky for Nashville, Golden Youth became part of that growth when they picked up from Sacramento and moved to Nashville.

What was originally a side project for Lauren and Monroe became a major project when the two discovered that they simply enjoyed writing and playing together. Golden Youth released their first album, Quiet Frame: Wild Light, through Slospeak Records in May of this year and got a lot more attention than they were expecting. It’s not surprising to those of us who enjoy airy, pastoral songs that just feel good.

The songs off Quiet Frame; Wild Light, most of which they played at their Exit/In show, have the same airy quality but are far more energetic in a live setting. It’s hard not to love Golden Youth as they rock out with each other, jumping to the rhythm with one hundred percent energy until they return breathless to the microphone to thank the crowd at the song’s end.

Perhaps a function of that extraordinary energy, Stephanie Lauren’s vocals sounded more soulful and relaxed than they do on the album, where she achieved remarkable, almost eerie precision. Her voice was still clear and smooth, and the lyrics easy to hear despite the many instruments on stage.

The many instruments served to keep pace with the sonic textures of their album. The standard instruments were all there—drums, guitar, keys, bass—but so was a synth, a glockenspiel, an electric guitar played with a bow, a small gold bell, a tambourine, and the list goes on. Monroe is a producer by trade, and it’s apparent that the duo didn’t want to lose the colorful palate they used in the studio. Obviously Lauren and Monroe weren’t playing these all themselves. (If only!) A few friends helped them out with their tour through native California and their Nashville homecoming show. The two permanent band members were adamant in their gratefulness to their multi-talented band members and friends.

Golden Youth seem to be the kind of musicians who haven’t been jaded by the crazy music industry. Uninhibited by egos, they play with a contagious sense of freedom and gratitude. Rumblings on their Facebook say they are playing an east coast tour. The rest of the country deserves to hear their fun, free music, so keep an eye out to know when those rumblings turn into an actual tour.

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Caroline McDonald

My first memory is of singing Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” quietly to myself during preschool naptime. Perhaps it’s because I’m from Nashville where an instrument lives in every home, but music has gripped me for as long as I can remember.

After dabbling in many parts of the music industry—recording studios, PR, management, labels, publishing—I’m expanding into music journalism because I’m yet to find anything more rewarding that finding and sharing new music.

A longtime sucker for girls with guitars, my musical taste unabashedly follows the songwriting lineage of Dolly Parton and includes Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, and Neko Case. But not to pigeonhole myself, my music love is big love that stretches from R.L. Burnside to Animal Collective to Lord Huron.

I’ve recently moved home to Nashville after living in Boston and Big Sur for several years. I’d forgotten how music pours onto the streets ten hours a day, seven days a week. I’m honored to share the creative explosion happening here. If your band is in the area or of the area, please reach out!