Electronic and dance group Lust for Youth last week dropped “Compassion,” a compilation of eight ambient tracks about love and everyday life. While electronic and dance music genres have skyrocketed in popularity in the past decade, “Compassion” seems to be hindering its progress with its unappealing, over-processed sounds as well as its bizarre and jarring lyrics.
The first track, “Stardom,” sets the tone for the entire album as it opens with a psychedelic yet distinctly modern intro, followed by the slow and somber musings of the lead singer for his love. He sings, “I’ll rise to stardom, to stardom like you.” Similar to “Stardom,” “Limerence” and “Sudden Ambitions,” the album’s most upbeat tracks, follow the singer’s lamentations over a devastatingly mysterious girl who “moves like a sunset” and “points at the skyline like it’s hers to take.”
While the group scores high marks for straying from the mainstream with their choice in lyrics, their utter disregard for lyrical trends of contemporary popular music makes the sound too different from its contemporary counterparts. This clashes, however, with many of the beats on the album which faintly resemble those of top electronic and dance hits. However, an ominous downplay of these beats generates a gloomy vibe, making dancing a less-than-appealing activity.
After mourning a lost love, the rest of the album transitions into dealing with a contemplation of everyday life, which is simultaneously more bizarre and mundane. Between the sparse lyrics and increasingly somber tones, the message behind the songs becomes even harder to decipher as the singer’s voice drifts into the background as a soft echo.
The most notable track, “Display,” boasts the most accessible lyrical content as it explores the struggles of “trying to live out the truth.” “Tokyo” and “Better Looking Brother” seem to mimic the style of “Display,” but in a less than satisfying way.
As the album delves into its more somber tracks, the lyrical content becomes obsolete. The most enigmatic songs, “Easy Window” and “In Return,” present no clear subject matter, and instead jumble together a string of discordant sounds in both English and foreign tongues, making for an unsettling listening experience.
Overall, “Compassion’s” lack of coherency and unusual sound makes it seem like a resurrected 80s-pop reject, which should have been left in the past.
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