#david Le'aupepe

[swatchitt]

study. feat. david le'aupepe

[saying-odd-shit]

man maybe nobody WILL take me as i am. shiiit

[liaratawitchtrial]

oh my god straight male singers who do the hip wiggles and gay dinosaur hands while they sing little indie songs about religion are such a fucking specific weakness but David leaupepe and Stuart murdoch I am on my knees

[thisthirdofjune]

THE HANGED MAN

the upward hanged man tarot card reflects a particular need to suspend certain action. as a result, this might indicate a certain period of indecision. his position may be seen as a sacrifice that he needed to make in order to progress forward - whether as repentance for past wrongdoings, or a calculated step backward to recalculate his path onward. (via Labyrinthos)

[lovejustforaday]

2022 Year End List - #14

Angel in Realtime - Gang of Youths

Main Genres: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Chamber Pop

A decent sampling of: Adult-Alternative, Heartland Rock, Art Rock, Maori Music, The Big Sound

Next on my 2022 year end list is a band from the opposite side of the world, who I’m told (by the internet as per usual) have been making a lot of waves on their side of the globe, and even won the J Award for Australian Album of the Year.

Gang of Youths are an Australian rock band fronted by David Le'aupepe, a baritone vocalist with that smooth, down-to-earth kind of voice that makes him a perfect fit for heartland rock and the rock radio format in general.

Everything about this band’s sound is utterly feel-good, which will definitely put some sad-boy hipsters off of their sound. I however, as a sometimes sad-boy hipster myself, fucking love the band’s unabashedly life-affirming ethos, and I think it is something severely needed in these troubling times.

On their third LP Angel in Realtime, Gang of Youths revive new sincerity with a bombastic concept album about Pasifika heritage and identity, guardian angels, lost family ties, and most importantly, David’s father and the secrets that David learned about him after his death.

The record plays out like a cinematic vignette of a son coming to terms with his own origins and everything he thought he knew about his father’s life story, set to the soundtrack of chamber-rock ballads and arena rock anthems, with elements of Maori folk music and chanting inter-weaved throughout. It’s a fresh and compelling concept, and the band makes the subject matter very approachable with their style of music, regardless of how heavy the concept may look on paper.

Honestly, it’s pretty wild to think that this is a record that came out in 2022. This album would sit very comfortably in the established canon of acclaimed noughties anthemic indie rock, among big names like Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire. I can also imagine this record playing alongside the aforementioned artists at your local millennial craft beer bar. And I mean all of this as a compliment; I’m a sucker for that BIG, sentimental millennial rock sound.

“you in everything” is a tear-jerking opener that swells into a sublime dawn of chamber pop, as sincere as it is breath-taking in the same way that opening shots to nature documentaries about giant landforms are. “in the wake of your leave” is a song to shout drunkenly at the top of your lungs, with it’s killer chorus and bright melodic riffs, though it masks painfully bittersweet reflections on death and funerals.

My favourite cut is “tend the garden”, a track which sees David Le’aupepe directly taking on the perspective and headspace of his father, telling much of his life story through lyrics based on his son’s own interpretation. Musically, it’s particularly reminiscent of Broken Social Scene, with a very sonically rich and metropolitan sound, somehow both laidback yet meticulously crafted.

Then there’s “the kingdom is within you”, which blends 2-step dance beats with bold piano lines, alternative rock, and layered, encompassing production, all to create a track that is both enormous and stratospheric.

Things wind down with “brothers”, an introspective six minute piano ballad that largely gives context to the album’s subject matter, as David Le’aupepe explains how he came to learn about his half-brothers after his father’s death. Its the emotional linchpin of the album and, though its composition is quite simple and repetitious for its length, ends up working quite effectively and became a track I wanted to revisit often. This is all thanks to David’s performance, which he absolutely nails with his wistful but frank lyrics and soothing voice that was tailor-made for this kind of balladry.

All that being said, the record is a bit long for its own good in my opinion. The massive arena rock sound can start to wear down on some of the b-side tracks. But then part of me also understands that this is meant to be an album of epic proportions, and the band probably wanted a length to match that.

In one way, it feels more like a concert experience than an album experience, and to some people that’s a definite plus. I can definitely imagine that Gang of Youths absolutely tears it up at a live concert.

Either way, I’m very happy for the success of this band and this record. Angel in Realtime is one of the most uplifting artistic expressions of the year, and it has an profound and touching story to boot. I’m glad that there are artists like Gang of Youths that are still able to find good in the bad, and capture some of the joyous beauty that exists in this world; a very large amount of indie rock these days is about depressive reflections on an idyllic past. So here’s to more albums like this in 2023.

8/10

Highlights: “tend the garden”, “brothers”, “you in everything”, “the kingdom is within you”, “in the wake of your leave”

[saccadesoup]

random tim thoughts. i have been thinking about him a lot lately

- gets flustered SO easily,,, tease him even slightly and that’s it. he’s bright red. stuttering. thinking ab it for the rest of the day.

- speaking of stuttering: had a really bad stutter as a kid. got put in speech therapy and now it’s mostly gone but it does come back slightly when he’s upset/stressed

- either has the most horrific, realistic, fear-inducing nightmares or unhinged fever dreams. like it’s either “i just watched faceless shadow figures tear into jay and hang his guts on the wall then i had to run but i couldn’t so they did it to me next” or “i had to rescue lady gaga who was also nick cage from an evil lizard then we made out”

- secretly enjoys ABBA (would rather die than admit it)

- COLLECTS VINYLS you cannot tell me this man isn’t a vinyl elitist. keeps them neatly organised and will pitch a fit if you even breathe on them wrong

- writes a shit ton of lyrics that’ll never see the light of day. it’s basically his version of writing poetry

- went to college for music composition but never put out any of the stuff he wrote (he thought people wouldn’t like it), it’s all kept on usb sticks in the attic tho cause he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of all the songs he poured his young little heart and soul into

- can fall asleep anywhere anytime during the day, but the MOMENT he gets into bed at night. he’s awake. cant sleep. not happening.

- generalised anxiety disorder i’m not elaborating

- overthinks every interaction he ever has

- however. he’s also a stubborn bastard. communicates in sarcasm and affectionate insults

- has the most beautiful, deep, rich singing voice... such a warm baritone. think david le'aupepe from Gang of Youths

- snores like an old man he literally sounds like a freight train

[tinysoultimetravel]

When Caitlyn Siehl wrote, "You are kissing her in a crowded restaurant and it feels like praying."

When Hozier said, "I slithered here from eden just to sit outside your door”

When Pablo Neruda said, "I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees."

And when David Le'aupepe wrote, "Where you go I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping cause there is no me without you "

[carryhatchet]

David Le'aupepe I need to speak with you

[televisionenjoyer]

David Le'aupepe is so obsessed w Argentina like when are you bringing gang of youths here king I'm waiting

[unintentionalgenius]

David Le'aupepe is the ONLY person who has ever fully captured the full expanse of my “grieving the dead dad you had a complicated and fraught relationship with” feelings

angel in realtime. most valid album

[superheats]

David Le'aupepe on angel in realtime

[angelofeighthave]

ABOUT ME

HELLO.  i'm ollie, he/him 🏳️‍⚧️, '99. i had a tumblr for a few months in 2017 and decided to come back since twitter sucks now. this is my personal blog, but i have a sideblog for posting strictly gang of youths-related content, @thisthirdofjune.

TRACKING.  #gang of youths, #gangofyouths, #david le'aupepe, #dave le'aupepe feel free to tag me in anything gang of youths related!

USUAL TAGS.  #art, #quotes, #dark academia, #literature

*not tracking or using #goy

[thisthirdofjune]

ABOUT ME

HELLO.  i'm ollie, he/him 🏳️‍⚧️, '99. just here to blog about my favourite band. I saw gang of youths in 2022 for the first time and a second time at vintage vibes fest 2023. i found them on tiktok & they saved me big time! at vvf i danced with dave! i had a tumblr for a few months in 2017 and decided to come back since twitter sucks now.

TRACKING.  #gang of youths, #gangofyouths, #david le'aupepe, #dave le'aupepe feel free to tag me in anything gang of youths related

USUAL TAGS.  #gang of youths, #gangofyouths, #david le'aupepe, #dave le'aupepe, #art, #quotes, #dark academia

*not tracking or using #goy

[lovethatlaiduslow]

100!

100. unison- gang of youths

i will not lie i was obsessed w this song early this yr entirely bc david le'aupepe said the chorus 'and it takes and it moves and he makes of one mind' was inspired by casimir pulaski day 'all the glory when he took our place but he took my shoulders and he shook my face and he takes and he takes and he takes' and the parallels made me INSANE

[indigoyouths]

𝑖’𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑠𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑙  gang of youths at a more perfect union, hobart || 14.08.22