‘Only the Young’, from The Ninth Wave’s debut EP, of the same title, balances long melodic guitar riffs with synth and transient harmonious backing vocals, giving this song a hauntingly catchy sound.
Lead singer Hadyn Park has a distinctive voice encouraging us to keep listening from the opening line: “they don’t ever wanna talk to me because they know me too well”.
The heartfelt lyrics continue throughout with driving rhythm guitar and short interludes of rich backing vocals from Elina Lin.
With a relatively slow tempo, the song has a good balance of personality and moody instrumentation as the guitar and synth are layered in a very organic way.
The strong rhythm becomes more prominent as the song goes on as 80’s new wave influences are combined with a catchy indie overtone, creating an infectious and yet unique sound.
Words: Hazel Urquhart
Rave Child 