Album Review // Youth Lagoon // Rarely Do I Dream

Fat Possum Records

4.5/5 stars

When we last heard from Trevor Powers in 2023, he was just finding his voice after an allergic reaction left him without speech for months. Not even two years later, the songwriter behind Youth Lagoon now barrels forward by examining the past. Inspired by a collection of home videos found in his parents' basement, Rarely Do I Dream captures family history and blurs it with stories about all kinds of supernatural encounters. The result is an album less cohesive than 2023's masterful Heaven is a Junkyard, but every bit as emotional (and even more expansive). There is a kaleidoscopic trait to the way Powers incorporates new genres into his songwriting, from the electronic buzz of "Speed Freak" to the gorgeous slide guitar featured on "Football." Much of the rural feel featured is reminiscent of Hovvdy's recent output, but elsewhere, on "Lucy Takes a Picture," he dips into something that sounds closer to the slightly abstract pop of The Blue Nile. It's true, the defining sound of Rarely Do I Dream is hard to pin down, but that's also part of its unique charm; the album feels like a short story collection flirting with different tones, but somehow pulling off each one exquisitely.