Description
What a year it’s been for The Haunted Youth! And the best is yet to come for the band centred around Joachim Liebens (29) with the release of debut album ‘Dawn Of The Freak’ on November 4, marking the pinnacle of a dazzling ride that started in the spring of 2021.
The Haunted Youth became indie darlings in Belgium and The Netherlands from the very first single they released. And what’s more, early singles like ‘Coming Home’ and ‘Gone’ also attracted attention in the UK and US straight away, earning praise from such big names as Consequence and NME. The Haunted Youth even made ‘Song of the Day’ (‘Coming Home’) and went in heavy rotation (‘Broken’) on influential radio stations such as KEXP and KCRW. Furthermore, the band gained international Spotify support, featuring on several playlist covers both in Belgium and internationally.
The international release of the album is preceded by the single ‘Teen Rebel’, a dream pop anthem you think you’ve known all your life and that will stay with you all your life. The previous singles also return on ‘Dawn Of The Freak’, like close friends that wrap their arms around you, raising the glass to celebrate life with all its highs and lows. Because for all the highs The Haunted Youth have experienced so far, Liebens has had his share of lows in life. For him making music is a way of facing the demons of his past and writing them out of his system. “It’s therapy, a way of dealing with my existence”, Liebens says. “And I hope this album will be universal and accessible enough for others to enjoy it in the same way.” As dark as the lyrics often are, as a whole and musically the album exudes salvation and connection, implying that it’s okay to feel like shit sometimes. And “it’ll all be over someday soon, I promise you”, Liebens leaves a glimmer of hope in closing song ‘Fist In My Pocket’.
