Young Jesus - Desert

Music 4 years ago

Young Jesus - Desert

A name like Young Jesus is either deadly earnest or a total piss-take. This record’s literally called S/T, a statement in itself as if to say, “Please do not call it “Young Jesus’ self-titled album.’” Its seven one-word song titles can be read as a strange poem and the last two of them take up over half of S/T’s 47-minute run time.

The band is listed as “composers” in the credits. It comes not with a “RIYL” list but a reading syllabus. Their most prominent interview for this album cycle was done by the Los Angeles Review of Books. Young Jesus are not at all ashamed about the lengths they’ve gone to make a big ol’ piece of art, and it might be completely insufferable if S/T didn’t prove them to be acts of generosity that break down the boundary between the artist and listener—Young Jesus’ third album is not a conversation piece, but a dialogue meant to be shared.