Youth Lagoon

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Trevor Powers shares his emotions with us under the name Youth Lagoon.
This young Idaho based singer-songwriter crafts nostalgic and dreamy music that people can relate to. His two tracks ‘July’ and ‘Cannons’ can be downloaded for free on his bandcamp. Youth Lagoon’s first album titled ‘The Year of Hibernation’ will be available soon via Fat Possum/Lefse Records.
Check out my interview with this amazing artist :)

Which ice cream flavor(s) do you like the most?

I thoroughly enjoy any kind of ice cream loaded to the brink with cookie dough. I also like mint chocolate chip.

What is your last or upcoming project about?

The Year of Hibernation is really just the story of my life over this past year. I’ve gone through a lot of rough stuff this year writing this album was my way of getting it out of my system – telling my story in a way.
The biggest theme that runs throughout the album is my battle with anxiety that I’ve had since I was a kid. I have all kinds of weird, frightening, bizarre things enter my mind on a daily basis and some of the songs on the album came from me sitting down at a piano when I had all this stuff in my mind and trying to play those feelings.

How do you make music? Any specific workflow or methods?

Usually when I make music, it consists of trying to play something I have in my mind. Often I just start with the basics and start playing something on the piano that correlates with what I’m going through in my mind – then the rest just follows.
It’s one of those things where I don’t really think of myself having a certain formula; I just sit down and play a thought or idea.

How do you make a living?

I currently survive and pay the bills by working at Urban Outfitters in Boise. It’s actually a pretty rad job cause I work with people I really like. I am going to a university now too to work towards an English degree.
My dream is pretty simple – just have music pay for itself. And marry the girl I love, but that’s a different story… ;) I don’t ever see myself stopping music; it’s a part of me. So I would love for when my record comes out, for people to buy it just so that I can make another record…and another, and so forth.

How do you feel about people sharing your music?

THRILLED! I never really knew what was going to happen with these songs when I recorded them. I kind of just did it for myself – like something I needed to do. And now when I see so many people relating to the two tracks online, I know I’m where I’m supposed to be in life right now. Definitely very happy people can relate to what I have put into these tracks.

Who was your musical hero[in]s when you were a kid?

I was always an Elvis fan as a kid. I remember my dad having a box with Elvis cassettes he kept in the garage, and I always bugged him to take the box down so I could jam to Elvis.

What musical genre do you love but would never make yourself?

Big fan of ’60s surf influenced stuff! There’s a band from Boise I’m buds with called TEENS that have their sound dialed in that represent that genre to the fullest degree. The reason I could never make it myself is because I don’t have a Fender Stratocaster.

Which artists are you following at the moment?

Some bands I’ve really been loving lately are Therapies Son, Cults, and a big fan of anything Bon Iver.

download track Cannons

*Cannons*

Rolling up the windows of my ’96 Buick so the rain can’t get inside of it. I have more dreams than you have posters of your favorite teams. You’ll never talk me out of this.

It takes more than I got to hold my tongue. You shot me with a wooden gun. And though the shot won’t kill me it still bruises skin that you don’t believe in what your mouth runs.

Get your cannons ready, light the wick. It will take more than an argument to change my mind. So why keep trying? Keep trying, and you will never talk me out of it.