On 'Heavy Heavy,' Young Fathers Continues to March to the Beat of Their Own Drum With Their Best Record Yet
The Edinburgh trio double down on being musically unclassifiable for the year's second must-hear record.
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It was five years ago, when we last checked in with Young Fathers, the experimental pop trio from Edinburgh. They were fresh off the release of Cocoa Sugar, a kaleidoscopic record that tightened up their genreless sound that blends soul, electronica, and hip hop. It would garner the Scottish Album of the Year Award in their homeland, another critical accomplishment for a group that won the prestigious Mercury Prize for the debut album Dead in 2014.
Heavy Heavy, the fourth and latest record for Young Fathers, is even more uncategorizable, and dare I say, the effortless ambition makes it their best yet. It’s advertised as a “back to basics” record, whatever that may mean for Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole, and G. Hastings. In the case of Heavy Heavy, it’s the three of them hitting record in a basement studio and seeing what flies (hint, hint: it all does).
I was immediately ready for more Young Fathers the first time I listened to Cocoa Sugar, and it’s still a turntable staple five years later. My anticipation went through the roof when the group released “Geronimo” last July as a standalone single, which now fits in beautifully as the centerpiece to Heavy Heavy. The record is a statement to the growth of Young Fathers1 from the teenagers they debuted as and their maturation to the next level, and the song illustrates this with lyrics like:
“I'm on the verge of somethin' divine that's gonna keep me in line
Most of my life I've been thinking
Got the feeling that I'm caught in a bind
Being a son, brother, uncle, father figure
I gotta survive and provide
My momma said you'll never ever please your woman
But you'll have a good time trying”
There are plenty more breezy numbers, with “Tell Somebody” exploding into a wash of key synths and the shapeshifting closer, “Be Your Lady.” My favorite, though, is the celebratory “Ululation” that finds them belting indigenous calls with pure joy. With Massaquoi and Bankole both having roots outside their Scottish base, it’s something they’ve always explored, but double down on Heavy Heavy.
From the starting one-two punch of “Rice” and “I Saw,” which will sound familiar to fans of TV On the Radio, to later highlights like the explosive “Holy Moly,” this is a record that never falters. Heavy Heavy covers a lot of contemporary problems, but the music typically ends up joyous. It’s the rare record that I’m thankful I need to spend more time with, and I see it as one that defines the upcoming warmer months.
