The Young Unknowns – Endless Landscapes – An exquisite soundtrack for heartbreak

We all have those days. The days where we desperately search for an escape from the pressures of reality. The ones where the weight of humanity appears heavier than usual. It is often during these soul-defeating days where we lean into the handful of records that help us get back to center (perhaps right next to that emergency only Coldplay album you hide from your friends). The latest release by the Brooklyn band Young Unknowns, may just find its way into this collection. “Endless Landscapes” is the band’s six-song EP that is an exquisite soundtrack for heartbreak or contemplation best listened to on late night drives.

Vocalist Meredith Meyer sings as a woman who knows about the vulnerable human condition. When she sings lyrics like “take me to the lake, I want to jump in” on the opener “I Want to Lose”, the listener gladly follows her down. On this track she croons, “I want to lose everything except for you” which is sure to find more than a few starry eyed listeners responding simply “that shouldn’t be a problem”. Her sultry voice, which is best in the key of heartbreak, reminds one of ‘90’s throwbacks Kate Bush and Mazzy Star along with contemporaries like The XX.

The band is at their best on the title track, “Endless Landscape”. This is a track where many modern day pressures are outlined and conquered amidst a delicate mix of drums and acoustic guitar. It is a soft mix toward freedom that ends with the hopeful lyric “it’s all going to be okay”. This showcases the band’s drive to make sense of the complexities and paradoxes of life and love, while building an ambient atmosphere which is utterly their own. “Drive”, their melancholy reworking of The Cars 1984 classic, finds itself in this same temperament.

“Endless Landscapes” is a perfect rebuttal to the rushed culture we are often ensnared by. This fast paced life has no place for this beautifully thoughtful and authentic piece of minimalistic nirvana. It will both help validate your feelings, as well as call you to a more hopeful place to rest your over worked mind. It is a fitting soundtrack to “those days” indeed.