Where others turn their gaze towards the stars and the vastness beyond Earth, 23 year old producer Trevor Powers turns inwards. However, despite guiding the listener through an intensely introspective journey by submerging them into the all-consuming soporific soundscapes that compose Wondrous Bughouse, Youth Lagoon manages to avoid sacrificing the grand sense of wonder and excitement of exploration typically evoked by astral dreamers. This marks a genuine transformation for Powers – whose first record The Year of Hibernation was an archetypal intimate bedroom production – as the scope of his sound has been amplified beyond recognition. Crucially though, he’s done this without relinquishing the honesty that made his debut noteworthy. The melodies are uncomplicated and almost naive, but when surrounded by deep saturated productions are enveloped by otherness, making for an unsettlingly trippy experience. Wondrous Bughouse is unique and utterly brilliant; combining the dreamy atmospherics of Beach House with the infinite scope of Atlas Sound, creating a meditative Grimm-like fairytale that focuses within yet finds its reach stretching far beyond, directly into the darkest depths of the unknown.
Rishi Modha 