Melbourne youngsters Return to Youth cite themselves as ‘alternative-pop’ – though, don’t let the oxymoron distract from the solid style they’ve found in their sophomore EP Sail Away.
Not a single one of the four tracks feel like it doesn’t deserve to be on the release.
The smooth and simple, yet passionate style that intro track “She Said” brings is complemented pristinely with the rhythmic eponymous track – a song just shy of hitting the top 10 of Triple J’s unearthed charts.
The trio feature a simple lineup, with a singer/keyboardist, guitarist and drummer. As a result of this, much acknowledgement should be given to the band for being able to have such a full sound, as evident in the bridge and final chorus of “Epilogue”.
While lead singer Marites’ lyrics are fairly simple, such as in “She Said” (“She said you mean more than anything to me / where the hell have you been”) her vocals execute words in a remarkable fashion – one that would be hard to tire of.
The hidden treasure in this release come in the form of the batch of interludes found in each song that elevate each track up from good to great, such as the pounding section half way through final track “Pantomime”.
Return to Youth exist for fans of The Jezabels, Lydia, The Cab, and anyone who isn’t afraid to get a song stuck in their head for a few days. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the trio perform at more than a couple of local Melbourne festivals and venues around the place.
