Diamond Youth – Nothing Matters

Baltimore four-piece Diamond Youth is one of the most tasteful alt-rock bands living just below the surface of the mainstream.  Their swirling array of buzzing riffs and soft landing vocals have garnered deserving comparisons with the likes of genre hotshots like Muse.  Hot off the heels of their standout EP, Shake, Diamond Youth returns to try their hand at a brand new full length.  The resulting LP, Nothing Matters, is ten tracks of easy landing alternative that further embraces their obvious appreciation for the best parts of the 90’s.

The album exudes a garage-grunge aura without entirely being defined by either of those genres.  Opener “Nothing Matters” pads the soundscape with a steady humming rumble and quivering, mumbling vibrato.  As with past efforts, Diamond Youth strive to balance elements of light and heavy, direct and intricate, through an ever harmonizing array of instrumental compliments and contrasts.  Choruses on tracks like “Thought I Had It Right” spin and spiral like a kaleidoscope lens.  Those like “Spinning” feed the sense of diving deeper down the rabbit hole with heavy reverb and layers of pulsing echos.  Backing “ooo-ahhh” chorus lines blend into all of the above as verses fade into the central haze, all the while crunching riffs crackle with distortion in heavier instances circa “Far Away From Earth.”  Even when Diamond Youth sticks with the status quo, there’s little to fault besides the steadying continuity.  

Standouts like “In The Clouds” fit the bill for easy singles, and the intimate, instrumentally barren fragility of “Riptide” finds Diamond Youth venturing further from their comfort zones with encouraging results.  The band tends to stick close to their core talents, but when they treat listeners to the occasional divergent rhythm or tempo, the payoff never disappoints.  When taken as a whole, a side effect of such notable highs serves to bury lesser tracks like “The Nothing” in the thick of mix.

Nothing Matters isn’t a game changer, but Diamond Youth certainly plays the game well.  90’s revival alternative can run the risk of coming across incredibly drab in some scenarios (ie. The Lees Of Memory), but the band dodge that bullet and counter with a solid sophomore return.  Although the disc starts out as somewhat of a grower (it took a few listens to really jump fully on board), Nothing Matters bodes well for Diamond Youth’s continued success.