One of the few albums I have been so excited about this year is the debut album by Trevor Powers aka Youth Lagoon.

If you’re a lazy being, you will be quick to label Youth Lagoon as Chillwave and not pay his music any attention. Shame on you really, you’d be missing out on something truly beautiful.

The Year Of Hibernation is released next week, and is probably the most heartbreaking yet relaxing album you will hear all year. It has a calming feel to it, but at the same time; just rips you apart.

Youth Lagoon’s debut album is the true essence of vulnerability and worry. Most tracks have that fear of losing someone about them. The uncertainty of if you are going to see the one you love again. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don’t. Most of the time you just have to let it all go and give it all over to fate. If something can be controlled, it is not worth having.

This is an album to completely lose yourself in. You know how sometimes you look at a person and you forget everything because their presence is so beautiful and powerful? This is what I get from this album. It is like falling freely and staring at something beautiful whilst doing so. It is so honest, so painful and emotional.

Afternoon is probably my favourite off the album, I love the way it just lifts you up. Although the album is fragile and gentle, songs like Afternoon just lift you up and away. Youth Lagoon’s music is a more relaxed version of Spiritualized. I can say this because Spiritualized are in my top 5 favourite bands ever. What I’m getting at is, Youth Lagoon has the same innocence, uncertainty and hurt as Jason Pierce- but it isn’t as tense. Both are equally gorgeous. I’ve probably lost my point along the way here, I’m not sorry. This album is truly wonderful.

Most of the time we are taught to not say how we feel, because no one ever cares enough. It’s true, no one ever does. This is why Youth Lagoon is so necessary; he is saying everything you are told not to say. He feels all you are told not to feel. If you’re seen to be vulnerable and a bit fragile- you are immediately cast off as weak, and no one wants to know. Thing is, when you feel like that, you have the power to create something like this. The Year Of Hibernation is everything you are afraid to feel. The Year Of Hibernation says everything you wish you could say. My advice? Buy this album and tell those you wish you could tell certain things to, to listen to this album from start to finish. If they don’t get it, leave it alone. At least they’ve listened to something decent, right?

I know I’ve looked forward to a few albums this year, but this is one that has truly done something to my soul. It’s all well and good when an album steals your heart away, but when it takes your soul; you have truly found something special. Maybe the UK won’t love this album as much as they should. I won’t fill myself up with false hope that they will. Instead, I’m going to treasure this exquisite work of art with all I have. The only way I can describe how I feel about this album is how I feel towards The Fool by Warpaint. It is THAT amazing. In fact, amazing isn’t good enough. I cannot find the words. I’m just grateful that this album exists, that Youth Lagoon exists. My words cannot praise this wonderful creation enough; I’m just musically in love with it. Youth Lagoon, you are a credit to the music industry. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. You honestly have NO idea how much this album means to me right now.