Michael Younker embraces curated chaos on brilliantly bratty 'Sweet Things'
Michael Younker embraces curated chaos on brilliantly bratty 'Sweet Things'
Originally published by Alt Citizen
As neatly curated and captivatingly esoteric as his accomplished production design work for some of New York’s most fashionable publications, Michael Younker embraces the abject chaos of modern existence on his brilliantly bratty debut EP, Sweet Things.
Clocking in at barely over 10 minutes in total duration, Sweet Things tears a path of gleefully unhinged destruction like a sugar-high toddler unleashed in the toy department of a big-box store. The emotions are huge and unfiltered, tumbling and rolling with Wonka-esque absurdity and ADHD exuberance plastered ear-to-ear with a world-class shit-eating grin. Younker’s long standing associations with notoriously charming troublemakers including stints playing with Gymshorts and touring alongside Wavves, Surfbort, etc have clearly influenced his high-energy affinity for alterna-punk shenanigans but there’s a big-hearted undercurrent to Sweet Things that’s uniquely his own.
Younker approaches his ruckus thoughtfully, neatly packing well-developed concepts within each track and allowing the individual elements to ricochet about like rubber balls in a shoebox. There’s a singer-songwriterly deliberance to the compositions, a tangible method to the inherent madness that transcends pure anarchy and enables Younker to make wildly cartoonish swings that still hit his intended mark with tactical precision. From the cloying power-pop punch in celebration of instant gratification bereft of consequences on “Sweet Things,” to the blisteringly sharp evisceration of a toxic one-sided relationship on “Bad News,” Younker’s keen self-awareness and sassy delivery electrifies, augmented by sterling production values that elevate and amplify without sanding off the rough edges that make the overall effect so authentically charismatic.
Don’t miss Michael Younker this Saturday July 27 at Sleepwalk. Stream Sweet Things on Spotify and follow Michael Younker on Instagram.
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