Mind Over Matter Young the Giant

• 1Slow Dive00:48
• 2Anagram04:54
• 3It's About Time03:46
• 4Crystallized04:01
• 5Mind Over Matter04:05
• 6Daydreamer03:59
• 7Firelight05:34
• 8Camera05:13
• 9In My Home03:40
• 10Eros04:11
• 11Teachers03:41
• 12Waves04:39
• 13Paralysis04:34
• Total Runtime53:05

Info for Mind Over Matter

Southern California band Young the Giant continues to cultivate a breezy pop-rock vibe on its sophomore album, “Mind Over Matter.” But where the group’s 2011 debut had a few tracks that commanded attention, “Mind Over Matter” is a much more tepid affair that doesn’t stand out.

It’s not for lack of trying: The album features numerous soaring choruses and earnest vocals from Sameer Gadhia (who reaches some extreme heights on “Eros”), as well as intricate melodies from the group’s two guitarists. But as a whole, these songs blur together, and the album sounds formulaic. Even the subtle differences — the sultriness of “It’s About Time,” the whisper of “Firelight” — don’t set the songs apart from one another. Unimaginative lyrics add to the album’s insipid tone. Such banalities as “I know I was born for this / Every night I dreamt of it” (“In My Home”) recall countless other crowd-pleasing clichés that sound good in the moment but don’t make a lasting impact.

Young The Giant has quickly established itself as one of the most exciting new bands in recent memory. Buoyed by hit singles including “Apartment” and the RIAA-gold certified smashes, “My Body” and “Cough Syrup,” the Southern California-based quintet’s 2010 full length debut “YOUNG THE GIANT” was a breakthrough success earning widespread acclaim from the likes of SPIN, The New Yorker, and the Wall Street Journal, which hailed the album as “a pop masterpiece with well-crafted songs, surprising arrangements and soaring vocal harmonies.”

Young The Giant spent much of 2011 and 2012 traveling the globe, with sold out headline tours, top-billing on mtvU’s inaugural “Woodies Tour,” and show-stopping appearances at such festivals as Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and Lollapalooza. A dynamic and distinctive live act, the band also made a series of major TV performances, spanning ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and NBC’s TODAY and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to 2011’s MTV Video Music Awards and their own edition of MTV Unplugged.

Sameer Gadhia, vocals
Jacob Tilley, guitar
Eric Cannata, guitar, vocals
Payam Doostzadeh, bass
Francois Comtois, drums, vocals

Produced by Justin Meldal Johnsen (Paramore, M83, Tegan & Sara)

Young the Giant
Formerly known as the Jakes, Young the Giant began making eclectic indie rock in Irvine, California, where bandmates Sameer Gadhia (vocals), Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Payam Doostzadeh (bass), and Francois Comtois (drummer) all met each other during high school. Following graduation, the guys ditched their respective bands and formed their own outfit, drawing upon their European and Middle Eastern roots to forge a worldly, summery sound. Although the boys left Orange County shortly thereafter to attend different colleges, they continued making music together, eventually deciding to put school on hold and focus on the group instead. The decision wasn’t in vain; by early 2009, they were opening for Kings of Leon and playing shows at South by Southwest. Several months later, they were signed to Roadrunner Records.

The Jakes changed their names in January 2010 and began working on an album with producer Joe Chiccarelli, tracking most of the songs at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles. Featuring cameos by My Morning Jacket’s Bo Koster and Jellyfish’s Roger Manning, the self-titled debut was released digitally later that year. Worldwide promotion of the album continued well into 2011 as it took until the summer to make it physically available in most territories. Numerous TV appearances — most notably a performance on the MTV Video Music Awards show — helped to propel the album and the accompanying single "My Body" into the U.S., U.K., Dutch, and Italian charts.

Sessions for a second full-length began with producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen in summer 2013. The resulting album, the heavier Mind Over Matter, arrived in January 2014.

This album contains no booklet.