Go Farther in Lightness

Go Farther in Lightness is the second studio album by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths. It was released on 18 August 2017 by Mosy Recordings. It debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, and achieved certified platinum status in 2020. Nominated for eight categories at the ARIA Music Awards of 2017, the album won four awards – Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Rock Album and Producer of the Year with Adrian Breakspear.

Go Farther in Lightness
A black-and-white image featuring a woman and a dog sitting on a bed. A black border surrounds this image. White bold text on the top and bottom of the image reads "Go Farther in Lightness"
Studio album by
Gang of Youths
Released18 August 2017
RecordedNovember–December 2016
StudioSony Music Studios, Sydney
GenreIndie rock
Length74:49
Label
Producer
Gang of Youths chronology
Let Me Be Clear
(2016)		 Go Farther in Lightness
(2017)		 MTV Unplugged (Live in Melbourne)
(2018)
Singles from Go Farther in Lightness
  1. "What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?"
    Released: 10 February 2017
  2. "Atlas Drowned"
    Released: 12 May 2017
  3. "Let Me Down Easy"
    Released: 26 May 2017
  4. "The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows"
    Released: 9 August 2017
  5. "The Heart Is a Muscle"
    Released: 29 November 2017

Written entirely by frontman David Le'aupepe, the album's lyricism focuses on "the human experience in all its bleakness and triumph,"[1] exploring personal struggles, loss, existentialism and finding hope. Go Farther in Lightness has been described as an indie rock album, featuring three orchestral interludes that extend its duration to 74 minutes. Its release was supported by a series of record-breaking sold-out shows in Australia and five singles, including "What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?" and "Let Me Down Easy" – the latter became the band's first top 50 single in Australia. The song also placed at number two on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2017, where three tracks from the album placed in the top 10.

Go Farther in Lightness was critically acclaimed by reviewers and featured in several end-of-year lists. Rolling Stone Australia listed it among the 200 greatest Australian albums of all time, and at number three in their 50 best albums of 2017. It topped the annual Triple J album poll, and two of its tracks featured in the radio station's Hottest 100 of the Decade.

Background

In a 2017 interview with The Music, Gang of Youths frontman Dave Le'aupepe discussed the state of his mental health after releasing their debut studio album, The Positions (2015). He said: "I was really broken and fucked up and not in a good way. Better than I was during the actual recording process and during that part of my life, but I wasn't doing well."[2] While talking to Richard Kingsmill on Triple J, he added that he "went through a huge year-long writer’s block" after releasing their extended play Let Me Be Clear (2016), and wrote a majority of the songs on Go Farther in Lightness during constant touring in the year prior.[3][4]

On 6 February 2017, Le'aupepe announced that the album was almost completely finished, set to release in August. He also revealed the band would be relocating to London amidst visa complications for band member Jung Kim.[5]

Composition

Lyricism

With Le'aupepe as sole songwriter, tracks lyrically focus on his personal struggles. "Do Not Let Your Spirit Wane" was "born out of some big, screwed-up, recurring dream" about "losing something you love,"[6] and "Persevere" follows Le'aupepe "having a conversation with the friend who just lost a baby."[7] The frontman's relationship with his father was a major lyrical inspiration, explaining: "I talk about his magnolia tree. I talk about the frailty in old age he’s experiencing, and missing out on the humanity he’s really starting to demonstrate at this age."[8] In contrast to the "cinematic" orchestration of "The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows", Ben Yung of The Revue wrote that the song "reveals [Le'aupepe's] everyday struggles of loneliness, depression, and anxiety."[9]

Despite its recurring themes of frailty and loss, some outlets noted the life-affirming messages and "grand epiphanies" of "The Heart is a Muscle" and album closer "Say Yes to Life", "a track of hope, glory and absolute-total-victory."[10][11] Al Newstead of Triple J concluded that with these tracks, Le'aupepe is "no longer roaring and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, but singing like the weight of his emotional baggage is starting to lift."[11] Yung continued that the album is "not solely a message of hope and optimism," but about "humanity and the power of the human spirit".[9]

Greek mythology is referenced throughout the record, particularly in the string-laden "Achilles Come Down", which alludes to the Iliad by Homer and the tragedy of Achilles, "introducing a fictional scenario where the Greek hero is about to take his own life".[12] Le'aupepe also harshly critiques Ayn Rand's 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged in the single "Atlas Drowned".[13] Opening track "Fear and Trembling" is named after the 1843 book of the same name by Søren Kierkegaard – the frontman also found lyrical inspiration from the literature of Martin Heidegger and Milan Kundera.[14] The three string interludes featuring on Go Farther in Lightness are named after three theories of Jacques Lacan: the Imaginary, Symbolic and Real.[15]

Production and recording

Go Farther in Lightness has been described as an indie rock album.[16] It was recorded in six weeks alongside producer Adrian Breakspear in Darlinghurst, Sydney, and mixed in New York City by Peter Katis.[16] Le'aupepe claimed the album was "painstakingly put together," but that its production "was like rehab in a way."[6]

Reflecting on his influences, particularly Bruce Springsteen, the frontman claims opening track "Fear and Trembling" is his "ham-fisted tribute to 'Thunder Road', which is very thinly veiled."[16] In an interview with Triple J, he emphasised the importance of the first track, saying it was a way to "recalibrate Gang of Youths."[16]

Le'aupepe composed three string interludes for the album "to give the listener a breather, but also to reinforce some melodic information."[14] They act as a tribute to his classically-trained father, who raised David on "everyone from Vivaldi to Puccini and Mozart."[11] Le'aupepe had scored the final compositions, which ran over 450 pages, in three days.[14][16] Track five, "L'imaginaire", is an interpolation of the guitar solo from 1988 song "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses, with its melody transitioning into the following track.[17] The second interlude, "Le symbolique", marks the record's half-way point beginning with an "elegant and moving instrumental", before "suddenly the tempo accelerates, and the energy picks up" to transition into "Let Me Down Easy".[9]

Release
David Le'aupepe fronting the band at Fairgrounds Festival in 2017.

Lead single "What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?" was released on 10 February 2017 with an animated music video.[18] They would later perform the song live on Late Night With Seth Meyers in March 2018, making their United States TV debut.[19] Second single "Atlas Drowned" followed on 12 May 2017, alongside the announcement of an Australian tour.[20] On 26 May, "Let Me Down Easy" was released,[21] which became the band's first top 50 single on the ARIA Charts, peaking at number 49. A week before the full album release, the fourth single "The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows" was issued on 9 August, alongside a music video featuring Le'aupepe as a convict escaping through fields in the early morning.[22] The fifth and final single, "The Heart Is a Muscle", was released on 29 November 2017.

Go Farther in Lightness has not left the ARIA Australian Albums Chart since its debut in 2017.[23] It achieved certified platinum status in Australia in 2020, having sold over 70 thousand copies.[24] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2017, it won Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Rock Album and Producer of the Year, the latter won alongside Adrian Breakspear.[25] At the J Awards of 2017, Go Farther in Lightness was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.[26]

Tour

To support Go Farther in Lightness, Gang of Youths embarked on an Australian tour from August to September 2017 with supporting act Gordi.[27] In 2018 the band toured North America, in which they made their United States TV debut.[28] While performing in Tennessee, band equipment was stolen from their touring van.[29] Mid-way through the tour, they postponed several shows to December due to Le'aupepe's damaged vocal cords.[28][30]

The band toured Australia again from November 2018 on the Say Yes to Life tour.[31] All 21 shows in the nationwide circuit sold out. They performed six nights in a row at the Enmore Theatre, and subsequently broke the venue record for most sold-out shows in a single tour.[32]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The AU Review9.2/10[33]
Dork[34]
The Music[35]
Rolling Stone Australia[1]

The album received widespread critical acclaim. In a five-star review for Rolling Stone Australia, Jaymz Clements wrote that it "poetically explores the human experience in all its bleakness and triumph, confusion and clarity, heartbreak and joyousness," calling it "a remarkable odyssey of an album that'll engulf you."[1] Dylan Marshall of The AU Review called it a "triumph for hope and life,"[33] with Rachel Scarsbrook of Renowned for Sound similarly stating the album "doesn’t fall into the trap of becoming too dark and pitiful, instead there is positivity radiating out of its every fibre."[36]

Jamie Muir of Dork concluded the album is a "poetic and gripping body of work that places Gang of Youths as not just an important band, but an important voice in 2017 and beyond."[34] Triple J called the album "a stirring collection of music that places Gang of Youths another rank higher in the echelons of Aussie rock bands".[16] Writing for The Music, Jessica Dale called the album "something special" and stated: "Listen to [it] in its entirety; it is phenomenal and deserves nothing less than that."[35]

Legacy

Go Farther in Lightness has been featured in several publications' end-of-year lists, with Rolling Stone Australia naming it the third best album of 2017 and one of the 200 greatest Australian albums of all time.[37][38] It also topped the 2017 Triple J Album Poll, as voted by listeners.[39]

Three of the album's tracks featured in the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2017, all in the top ten – peaking at number two with "Let Me Down Easy", followed by "The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows" at number five and "What Can I Do if the Fire Goes Out?" at number ten. The only other artists to have achieved this feat previously were Powderfinger in 2003 and Chet Faker in 2014.[40] Three more tracks featured in the Hottest 200 of 2017. In 2020, two tracks from Go Farther in Lightness featured in the Triple J Hottest 100 of the Decade – "Let Me Down Easy" at number 19 and "The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows" at number 52.[41] Further, two more songs featured in the Hottest 200 of the Decade.[42] Track eight of the album, "Achilles Come Down", was not released as a single, however it has become the band's most popular song on Spotify,[43] with over 95 million streams.[44]

List of appearances on year-end, decade-end and all-time lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
Double J 50 Best Albums of 2017
40
[45]
Junkee 50 Best Australian Albums Of The Decade
–
[46]
Livewire Best Albums of the Decade
–
[47]
Rolling Stone Australia 50 Best Albums of 2017
3
[37]
200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time
121
[48]
Sputnikmusic Top 50 Albums of 2017
8
[49]
Top 100 Albums of the 2010s
24
[50]
The Sydney Morning Herald Top 20 Albums of 2017
–
[51]
Triple J Listeners Album Poll
1
[52]
Uproxx Best Albums of 2017
16
[53]

Track listing

All tracks are written by David Le'aupepe.[54]

  1. "Fear and Trembling" – 6:03
  2. "What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?" – 4:56
  3. "Atlas Drowned" – 4:31
  4. "Keep Me In the Open" – 5:57
  5. "L'imaginaire" – 1:30
  6. "Do Not Let Your Spirit Wane" – 7:33
  7. "Go Farther in Lightness" – 1:48
  8. "Achilles Come Down" – 7:02
  9. "Persevere" – 4:33
  10. "Le symbolique" – 3:51
  11. "Let Me Down Easy" – 5:19
  12. "The Heart Is a Muscle" – 5:24
  13. "Le réel" – 2:22
  14. "The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows" – 5:52
  15. "Our Time Is Short" – 5:17
  16. "Say Yes to Life" – 5:13

Notes

  • Physical versions of this album only list 12 songs, with "L'imaginaire", "Go Farther in Lightness", "Le symbolique" and "Le réel" being listed separately in roman numerals.[55]

Personnel

Gang of Youths

  • David Le'aupepe – writing, lead vocals, piano, guitar, string arrangements, horn arrangements, engineering
  • Joji Malani – lead guitar, horn arrangements
  • Max Dunn – bass guitar
  • Jung Kim – guitar, keyboards
  • Donnie Borzestowski – drums

Additional musicians

  • Justin Kearin – horn arrangements, trombone
  • Darryl Carthew – horn arrangements, trumpet
  • Dave Andrew – piano, keyboard
  • Emma Jardine – violin
  • Thibaud Hobba – violin
  • Ella Jamieson – cello
  • Mee Na Lojewski – cello
  • Leah Zweck – string contractor
  • Tulele Faletolu – backing vocals
  • Kris Hodge – backing vocals
  • Gloria Mati – backing vocals
  • Dee Uluirewa – backing vocals

Technical

Charts

Certifications
List of certifications for Go Farther in Lightness
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[59] Platinum 70,000double-dagger

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. Clements, Jaymz (17 August 2017). "Gang of Youths - Go Father in Lightness". Rolling Stone Australia. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  2. Dale, Jessica (23 August 2017). "Repairing, Becoming More Human And Being Followed By Magnolia Flowers". The Music. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  3. John, Brandon (6 February 2017). "Gang Of Youths announce they've got a new album - and they're moving to London". Tone Deaf. The Brag. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  4. Wilson, Zanda (6 February 2017). "Gang Of Youths Announce New Album 'Go Farther In Lightness'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  5. Williams, Tom (9 February 2017). "Hear Gang Of Youths' Epic New Single 'What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out?'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  6. Kot, Greg (30 March 2018). "Gang of Youths finds hope after a nightmare". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  7. Andrews, Travis (21 December 2018). "Meet Gang of Youths, the hell-raising rock band whose songs grapple with God". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  8. Young, David (22 August 2017). "Gang Of Youths' David Le'aupepe on bringing philosophy to pop music and putting their lives on the line". Tone Deaf. The Brag. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  9. Yung, Ben (21 August 2017). "Gang of Youths – 'Go Farther in Lightness'". The Revue. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  10. Marshall, Dylan (18 August 2017). "Album Review: Gang Of Youths – Go Farther In Lightness (2017 LP)". The AU Review. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  11. Newstead, Al (17 August 2017). "Have Gang of Youths reached new heights on their second album?". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  12. Gordon, Cat (23 March 2021). "Gang of Youths' Hidden Masterpiece: 'Achilles Come Down'". The Carolinian. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  13. "Gang of Youths are Back and Angry in Their New Single – Atlas Drowned". Savage Thrills. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  14. Ali, Tanya (18 August 2017). "Interview: David Le'aupepe & Joji Malani on Gang of Youths' continued strides forward into the light". The AU Review. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  15. Collins, Simon (18 August 2017). "Gang of Youths unleash sprawling beast". The West Australian. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  16. "Gang Of Youths - Go Farther In Lightness". Triple J. 13 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  17. Cohen, Ian (5 July 2018). "Are Gang Of Youths Too Earnest For America?". Stereogum. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  18. Williams, Tom (9 February 2017). "Hear Gang Of Youths' Epic New Single 'What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out?'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  19. Davino, Bianca (13 March 2018). "Watch Gang Of Youths' triumphant 'Late Night With Seth Meyers' debut". Tone Deaf. The Brag. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  20. Williams, Tom (12 May 2017). "Hear Gang Of Youths' Political New Single 'Atlas Drowned'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  21. Williams, Tom (26 May 2017). "Gang Of Youths Release Another New Song, 'Let Me Down Easy'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  22. Mack, Emmy (9 August 2017). "Behold The Glory Of Gang Of Youths' New Single 'The Deepest Sighs, The Frankest Shadows'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  23. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  24. "ARIA Accreditations Documents" (PDF). Dropbox. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  25. "2017 ARIA Awards Winners". Australian Recording Industry Association. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  26. "2017 J Award nominees". Australian Music Scene. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  27. Williams, Tom (12 May 2017). "Gang Of Youths Announce 2017 National Tour". Music Feeds. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  28. "Gang of Youths postpone US tour so Dave Le'aupepe can treat his troubled voice". Triple J. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  29. Newstead, Al (20 March 2018). "Gang of Youths gear broken and stolen during US tour". Triple J. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  30. "Gang of Youths Headline North American Tour Starts Next Week". Elicit Magazine. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  31. Newstead, Al (30 May 2018). "Say Yes To Live! Gang of Youths announce homecoming Australian tour". Triple J. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  32. Dale, Jessica (21 November 2018). "Gang of Youths Break Venue Records With Current Tour: 'It's All About The People'". The Music. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  33. Marshall, Dylan (18 August 2017). "Album Review: Gang Of Youths – Go Farther In Lightness (2017 LP)". The AU Review. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  34. Muir, Jamie (11 October 2017). "Gang of Youths - Go Farther In Lightness". Dork. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  35. Dale, Jessica (14 August 2017). "Album Review: Gang Of Youths - Go Farther In Lightness". The Music. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  36. Scarsbrook, Rachel. "Album Review: Gang Of Youths – Go Farther In Lightness". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  37. Cotye, Matt; Hermes, Will; Levy, Joe; Nail, Johnny; Sheffield, Rob; et al. (18 December 2017). "50 Best Albums of 2017". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  38. Brancatisano, Gloria (29 January 2023). "Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  39. Newstead, Al (11 December 2017). "Gang of Youths tops Triple J listeners Album Poll". Triple J. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  40. Bruce, Dave (27 January 2018). "Gang of Youths clean up at this year's Triple J's Hottest 100". Amnplify. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  41. English, Laura (14 March 2020). "Triple J's Hottest 100 of the Decade: Live Updates". Music Feeds. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  42. "Hottest 200 of the Decade: The List". Triple J. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  43. Lewis, Christopher (15 August 2022). "Live Review: Gang of Youths". The Music. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  44. "Gang of Youths". Spotify. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  45. "The 50 best albums of 2017". Double J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  46. Young, David James (29 January 2023). "The 50 Best Australian Albums Of The Decade". Junkee. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  47. "Best Albums of the Decade". Livewire. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  48. Brancatisano, Gloria (29 January 2023). "Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  49. Spencer, Trey (22 December 2017). "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2017: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  50. Sowing (9 April 2020). "Top 100 Albums of the 2010s: #30-11". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  51. Mathieson, Craig (14 December 2017). "Top 20 albums of 2017: From proven stars to those starting out". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  52. Newstead, Al (11 December 2017). "Gang of Youths tops Triple J listeners Album Poll". Triple J. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  53. "The 50 Best Albums Of 2017, Ranked". Uproxx. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  54. Go Farther in Lightness (booklet). 18 August 2017. p. 17. 88985442992.
  55. "Gang Of Youths lock in national tour, detail new album 'Go Farther In Lightness'". Triple J. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  56. "Gang of Youths - Go Farther in Lightness". Australian Charts. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  57. All year-end charts:
  58. All year-end charts:
  59. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
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