My childhood growing up in Southern California, seriously couldn't have been any better in the 90's. I know at times, my mom can be hard on herself, as can the rest of my family...asking themselves what more they could have done...if different decisions wouldn't warranted different outcomes-but you're hearing it from me first hand....from 1990-1999 I don't think any of us could've asked for a groovier life.
We were all connected, intertwined and in rhythm...which I really miss sometimes. I hope one day we're able to get that back to that place-but until then, the memories of those times together will have to suffice.
We lived in the valley where you still got service even without your shirt or shoes. Less than an hour from Laguna, but not so stereotypical OC that we lived in a mansion or by any means were driving beamers. My family pooling together all their incomes to offer my cousin and I an amazing backdrop to grow up around...is something I hold very dear to my heart.
My uncles, aunts, mom-everyone living in the house was exhausted from working overtimes, not receiving enough appreciation at work...but that didn't stop them from piling us in the car to take us to Disneyland or Knott's, if the time permitted.
It's compelling to me though, that what sticks out more, looking back all these years later-beyond my memories of youth...is the music that surrounded those memories influenced me for decades to come and still does. It was at age four-I discovered my devotion for Devo, my infatuation with Erasure and my worship for all things Pete Burns and Dead or Alive.
'Brand New Lover' was one of the first albums I added to my record collection, and 'Freedom of Choice', 'Duty Now For The Future', 'New Traditionalists', 'Oh, No! It's Devo' all followed swiftly behind.
I laughed out loud in line at the grocery store the other day (while hearing "Whip It!") imagining by boyfriend (in high school at the time) having his first live show experience as a freshman...watching Booji Boy mime to 'Peek-A-Boo'. What was he supposed to tell the guys on the football team the next day? I couldn't stop laughing-and no Sally...I don't have a rewards card.
I needed brain food. Like what I was experiencing while reading the stories-of the albums that matter most to you. I was feeling unimaginative and unimpressed after spinning 'The War on Drugs' so much-it felt like anything I had to blog about after that post, would inevitably fall flat.
I wanted something new, but nothing was sticking out. Everything I played-I was over with before the track struck 10 seconds. And friends...that's never a fun place to be...when you're looking for a specific energy but end up catching the weird vibe of sudden "flight or flea".
But if anyone reading this now has one take away-it's that intense wizardry can happen in that pivotal moment...when you're just about to give up...like it did with me. I had to pull over, screenshot my phone and have a good cry. Did I just discover the band I've been destined to hear my whole life?! The unearthing was too revolutionary, too round-trip, too real.
If you aren't aware of Nick Tompkins- take a deep breathe, because a week ago I wasn't either. But hearing his vocals can be such a reliever- it's the new age synthy approach I've been holding out hope for some modern band to assumingely achieve. He's exactly what I've been needing to rip all these folky hipsters from their high horses...to cancel out the culture of making crappy a-capella jams to hunt in the forest and gather berries to.
Youth Sector is my aspiration for music-visualized. The first band I can say was discovered by me, myself and I. Time signatures, polyrhythms and lyrics that do nothing but motivate and edify. Nick and the gang make me feel like 'Jerkin' Back N' Forth & Girl U Want' by Devo have finally been accepted as good music and set the standard for the next bands-yet to come.
Take 'The Ball' for instance. A blatant expression of their exhaustion and frustration for both world leaders and authoritative roles alike...but the melodies almost instantly take you to a neon lit mall- in the neighborhood of 1982. I love the :47 second mark, where you catch him moving him neck in a jam-and buddy, I'm right there with ya.
In the second chorus, the lyrics take me back to almost every job I've ever walked away from. Leaving with a sour taste in my mouth as I swallow the certainty that the lessons I put in front of those owners...wouldn't be learned for years after I left. They go on to say:
"How do you sleep at night? Shoulda never made the trip. Your fingertips, have lost their grip...you made the slip, you sank the ship."
And it doesn't end there. The bands upcoming EP release 'Quarrels' offers four other tracks to unpack and unzip. 'Free Parking' is my absolute favorite. Hearing it makes me giggle at all the times I've flipped a bitch to reassess an open spot by the beach only to be upstaged by an out of towner or have to drive miles up the road while locals double park to get their 'pop up flea market grocery-grind' in.
"How can they meet their plastic pals if they can’t park on the cheap? This isn’t feasible or reasonable these people agree, Oh...what a pickle for these people..."
I can feel Mark Mothersbaugh recognizing the art of Youth Sector and Nick Tompkins, endorsing them...and slowly acquiescing as he makes room for the Mark of our age to hit us with all he has. Youth Sector is our voice-Youth Sector is our pizzazz. Knowing New Wave is back in full force, has me reeling out of my seat at all the sentimentality and snazz.
As eagerly await my pre-order, I keep replaying my favorites...alongside- 'Benign Fire in a Small Room' and 'A Definitive Guide to Easy Living' to slowly teach myself the lyrics. Get your copy now and gear up for today's release right along with me, by streaming it here. There's a substance to this album I don't think could be anymore nonconformist or sincere.
I can smell the little weber grill smoking in the backyard while I put down the earthworm I let crawl on me and race past the melodies of the Thompson Twins through the living room before making it to the kitchen to get my burger bun ready. I can feel my uncles car swerve down the the hill as he played pedal to the medal-always waiting for the incoming traffic to kill the mood.
Now that I discovered my own slice of the pie, listening to Nick Tompkins on repeat helps me dip briskly out of the everyday insanity and escape to a place of contentment and solitude.
What are your thoughts on these unrivaled boys from Brighton?
Seeing them in Halifax