Low Island have never been afraid of creating dark moments in their fiery brand of electric indie pop, but this debut album finds the glittering light amongst the dingy depths of growing up anxious.
What Do You Stand For is the place where the album explodes into life, building from growing with frontman Carlos Posada's announcer-like drawl investigating his life of social servitude. The album dives through existential themes with an electric force driving synth pop bangers like "Who's Having The Greatest Time?" and the greatest FIFA soundtrack single in years, "Don't Let The Light In."
Frontman Posada chronicles the concerns of trying to run a career while figuring out who you are in your second decade. Nowhere is his self-doubt brought sharper into focus than on the aging-anxiety anthem Feel Young Again, pleading with his younger self – "I will set you free / You can't say I didn't try."
There's something to be said for having patience with your debut, and if it results in production like this, it surely has to be worth the wait. Tracks like "Momentary" positively glisten in Posada's songwriting sunlight, his voice plucking over gorgeous hazy synths that build with ferocious drums into a gospel-like experience.
It's taken time to get here, leading to the band founding their own label – Emotional Interference – on which their own debut album has been released, but Low Island have crafted a glorious, galvanising album that documents the life of someone still wholly unsure of everything in their twenties. It's relatable, deftly written, and ultimately, it rips.
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