The dreamy qualities of Shepherds’ recent single “Reverie” failed to prepare us for the pummeling force of their debut LP, Exit Youth. Coated in a thick, sopping layer of static, the new record is a musical maze which propels the listener down jagged hallways of catharsis and absurdity. When Shepherds appear to reach a dead end, they power through it, revealing solid walls to be only misty curtains of musical preconception, ripe to be torn away.
No song on the album represents the whole. Instead, each track occupies a completely different facet carved out by Jonathan Merenivitch’s understated guitar, Peter Cauthorn’s insistent bass and Adrian Switon’s deceptively simple drumming. Exit Youth is Merenivitch’s brainchild, an idea which germinated during a three-year period during which he played with Del Venicci and Janelle Monáe, but the unerring musicality of the trio is also due to Cauthorn’s and Switon’s experience in Mood Rings and Bataille, respectively.
Merenivitch describes the record as an effort to explore the feeling of being lost, both within himself and within his friends. The decade before turning 30, he had already experienced many highs and lows, of which the crowning paradox was opening for Prince with Monae at Madison Square Garden and having his car repossessed the same day. It was events like these that cause him to look inward and examine his devotion to music as well as the irresponsibility that had crept into his life, tagging along behind rock and roll. In an upcoming interview, Merenivitch sums up the idea and appeal behind Exit Youth thusly: “If you devoted your 20s to pursuing an art, and not making much money off it, you’ll identify with this record. That’s pretty much the basic concept of the record.”
Despite this dark indictment of the current state of the music business, the lack of weak tracks on the album proves that Merenivitch is still wholeheartedly pursuing his art. Even the ambient noise of “Drudgery” with its distorted whistling, is a pertinent interlude. “Dark Surfaces” is one of the brightest moments on the album, one of the few occurrences when Merenivitch allows himself to play the swaggering rock and roll frontman. Though the song is initially straightforward, his strut only lasts so long before the fuzzed-out Ramones beat collapses into an ’80s horror film outro. Exit Youth concludes with the sprawling ten-minute overture “Never Been.” The multi-act song combines the tender pop sensibilities of the Beach Boys with the foreboding sparseness of Suicide, resulting in the most unified musical destination one could hope for after such a multi-directional album.
Like magicians, Shepherds distract us with slick hooks and searing vocals, only to surprise us with something darker and grander. Time signature, melody and the very idea of pop music are deconstructed throughout the winding course of the album. In Merenivitch’s art rock wilderness, imposing corridors of regret and confusion are trodden with confidence, despite the unknown destination. Shepherds’ claim this is “skeptical rock.” Hopefully their musical interrogation never stops.
Exit Youth is out today via Muckman Records.
Shepherds will celebrate the release of Exit Youth tomorrow night, Oct.24, at the Earl when they play in support of Diarrhea Planet and Concord America. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $12. 21+ to enter.
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