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Revisiting one of my favorite albums of 2022, angel in realtime by Gang of Youths. It's dense, it's weird, it's beautiful, it's all over the place. It's one you should check out.
Gang of Youths' angel in realtime was one of my favorite records from 2022, and it was a perfect companion to this week's gloomy weather here in the northeast. It's the Australian rock outfit's third full-length record which dives headfirst into the emotionally charged and musically ambitious style they have become known for. Once you're done being impressed by the complex instrumentation and unique arrangements of the songs, you'll also get drawn in by the extremely personal lyrics. Each song is like an autobiographical novella written by frontman Dave Le’aupepe, who wrote the album after the death of his father revealed a secret family that Le’aupepe never even knew about.
The album's portrayal of conflicting emotions — love, anger, grief, and forgiveness — is a brutally honest, multifaceted look at imperfect relationships in an imperfect world. Oftentimes with family there are no easy answers, and angel in realtime is a raw and aptly-named realtime journey toward making peace with it all.
Best Time to Listen
Throw it on when the summer weather starts fading into fall and you're going for a nice long walk. A solo nighttime drive on an empty interstate would probably be fun too. This isn't background music. A lot of the songs refer back to each other and build a larger narrative. So while it's 67-minute runtime makes it a lot to take in one sitting, carve out some time to let it play in its entirety. This is one you're going to want to pay attention to — taking in the insanely introspective lyrics and trying to count how many different instruments you hear on these arrangements (you'll probably need all of your fingers and toes in order to succeed).
Essential Tracks
in the wake of your leave
the angel of 8th ave.
returner
tend the garden
the man himself
spirit boy