The Haunted Youth

The grainy look of a long-forgotten Polaroid, washed-out VHS recordings in sepia tones, and a shiver of bittersweet nostalgia: Belgium’s The Haunted Youth show us that we are more ruthlessly separated from yesterday than by any distance. Nevertheless – or perhaps precisely because of this – the echoing dream pop of the Limburg quintet evokes a certain longing for better times, no matter how romanticised they may be. It’s a recipe for emotional resonance that is not new, but this project transcribes it into the present with an extraordinary sense of melody and effect. Songs with the perceived ambiguity of ‘Teen Rebel’ and ‘Coming Home’ carry the dopamine swirls of unfulfilled love but also the anticipation of everything that may yet come. In this, they stand in a rich tradition that stretches from MGMT and DIIV to Slowdive and The Cure. On their debut album, ‘Dawn Of The Freak’ (2022), they shine in the light of these sources of inspiration while at the same time establishing their own signature sound. Anyone who warms to such sound spectrums will find The Haunted Youth to be an all-round package.