[rating=7.0]
Young Summer burst onto the music scene earlier this spring with “Fever Dream,” a single that received much critical attention, and was even named to several “Top Song” lists. The band now continues along its path to a full-length release with Fever Dream, a five-song EP that thematically touches on painful memories of past relationships while featuring Bobbie Allen’s expressive vocals alongside the band’s calming synth lines. Though Fever Dream slows quickly following its title track, as an overall effort it transcends its flaws, standing as a promising EP from a young band with the capacity to wrap emotional, heavy lyrics inside a catchy accessible synth-pop casing.
Young Summer’s debut EP opens with the title track “Fever Dream,” a song that encompasses everything a first single from an up-and-coming band should be. The rolling drum beat and Allen’s entrancing voice (her vocals draw comparisons to Florence Welch and Sarah McLachlan) serve as a solid hook, and things only get better as the song progresses. With sweet synth lines and an uplifting melody, “Fever Dream” feels like a track any alt-pop music fan could listen to repeatedly. The depth of Young Summer’s lyrics become apparent as the song moves from verse to chorus, telling a woeful story of loss, reminiscence, and futile hope during a “fever dream” of memories shared with a lover long and hopelessly gone.
These strong lyrics continue throughout Fever Dream, with each track recollecting a lost relationship or addressing uncertainties between lovers. With a dreamy synth line and pronounced harp fills, “The Waves That Rolled You Under” stands as one of the EP’s stronger tracks. Though the song floats along at a pace noticeably slower than “Fever Dream,” Allen’s voice carries the song forward, culminating in a captivating chorus where layered vocals intertwine with emotionally heavy lyrics to permanently imprint the song in the listener’s mind.
Unfortunately, as Fever Dream progresses it fails to recapture the magic prevalent in the opening two tracks. “Letter Never Sent” marks a major turning point, as the pace of the EP slows significantly and its energy never recovers. The final three songs on the EP blend together and ultimately lack the same punch that makes “Fever Dream” a compelling first single. Though “Close to Home” is actually meant to be a slower acoustic track, the overall sluggish pace of the EP overshadows its significance. While Fever Dream’s final three tracks should not be discounted individually, placed one after another they simply fail to spark.
Though Fever Dream ends on a somewhat muddled note, Allen’s brilliant voice, the band’s refreshing synth-pop feel, and the mature topics and complex emotions touched upon throughout the EP help it to overcome its downfalls. If Young Summer can carefully manage track placement on their full-length effort and maybe recapture the vibe that makes “Fever Dream” memorable, their full-length debut could build a solid foundation for their future in the alt-pop realm.
