Photo Credit: Jim Fuller

Words by Olivia Davis

As the music world moves on and indie-rock is taking over the scene with many rising artists in the likes of Sam Fender and Fontaines DC, releasing music that is captivating the world, SOMEBODY’S CHILD is the next biggest artist to look out for and to keep on your radar. Led by Cian Godfrey, the band has an outstanding album, ‘When The Youth Fades Away’, set to be released on March 28th.

With his debut self-titled album released back in 2023, the band has already given the world a taste of what is to come, after supporting big artists such as Kings Of Leon, Bloc Party and War On Drugs it is clear he’s already made an impact within the indie scene giving people a taste of the potential. 

The album opens with ‘The Kid’ an energetic and ambitious tune that perfectly sets the tone for the record, with a unique beat that captivates listeners throughout. The intro of the song is fairly long, used for more of an interlude, to entice the audience, which it certainly does. Replicating the famous sounds of Sam Fender, it is clear from the get-go that the album is already due to be a hit. 

Continuously throughout, Cian displays a steady flow of sound from one song to the other. Following the opening tune with ‘Last Night I Held Your Hand’ the backing track is similar to the last, continuing with the steady drums and guitar, this particular song is delivered with more of a belt to the lyrics as it portrays the feeling of desire for someone you can’t have. 

The overall album is a sentimental mix of ballads that are mostly produced with an upbeat track to help present sadness, but in a more enjoyable way. ‘When Youth Fades Away’ (the title track) and ‘New Orleans’ are tracks that do exactly that; ‘When Youth Fades Away’ perfectly combines the mix of a dancy tune with meaningful hard-hitting lyrics as he reminisces on youth but focuses on the more enjoyable and happy times. The perfect way to describe the two songs is as an experience of growth and change, as one song leads to the next, ‘New Orleans’, although being the shortest song on the album, it is the one that focuses on reflecting the most. With the last one focusing very much on the happier times, ‘New Orleans’ brings this to a close with the comparison of life now to life as a child, the lyrics “Drinking water, Drinking wine” show the maturity in a person, focusing on how times change. 

‘Wallstreet’ is a tune that stands out from the rest, as high energy is once again thrown back into the mix of earlier piano and guitar mixes. It’s certainly the song of the summer, bringing a vibrant festival-ready pulse to the album with an irresistible combination of guitar and drums that forms the perfect indie rock sound.

In the second half of the album SOMEBODY’S CHILD experiments with acoustic within the songs ‘Irish Goodbye’ and ‘The Water Slide’ to create a deeper connection to this reflection album. ‘Irish Goodbye’ starts this transformation with a blend of acoustic and electric guitar, as we follow his story of being a child and previous relationships, with two-thirds of the song being acoustic, it taps into emotion, making listeners reminisce alongside him. As it comes to a close however, the enchanting riff of electric guitar lulls the listener out of the song, readying them for the next journey which takes form in ‘The Water Slide’. Continuing the story of reflectiveness, this acoustic ballad captivates listeners with its diverse melodies and tones, showcasing Cian’s skilful use of sound.

Ending the album is ‘Time Of My Life’, which is the album’s lead single, used as a final goodbye to youth, using a captivating loop of guitar and drums imitating the style of ‘classic indie rock’ as he plays out the remainder of the album. It’s a song that makes you want to listen to the album on a loop to keep reminiscing on times of the past whilst enjoying life in the present.