Western Youth - “The King Is Gone”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 2

Pairs Well With…Houndmouth, The Band, Dawes

Austin’s Western Youth has continued gigging when possible through the pandemic, still supporting their naturally appealing, alt-country debut from 2018. It’s safe to expect some new tracks from the harmony-fueled, lush Southern rock group come SXSW, but for now a revisit to their self-titled record yields a collection of pretty, lightly gritted yarns, throwing back to 60s and 70s rock with grace and reverence. (Kevin McStravick)

2019 Review: Their 2018 self-titled release is a strong roots-based rock ‘n’ roll record.  In addition to my favorite song, “Valerie” features some great harmony-rich swells and “Hangin’ On” has a superior guitar jam segment.  Yes, its throwback music but the songwriting is strong and the musicianship solid. Frontman Taylor Williams admits that “Our aspirations were pretty low at the outset.” But last year, they added Austin troubadour Graham Weber to the lineup and the songwriting and band chemistry clicked into a higher gear.