Listeners are welcomed into the album with building melodic instrumentals and the erupting of an-electricity fuelled roar from a band who has not only matured, but are emerging with tracks; reminiscent of their ambient roots, while combining their newfound and conscious vocal diversity. The evolution of Stories as an ensemble is one to behold, The Youth To Become working as a testament to this growth.

Transcending genre is a difficult act for any artist to do, changing up their sound and infusing it with a plethora of new elements can often make or break in any band, no matter how established. The sounds ascending from The Youth To Become, is an exemplification of a band doing this with the right energy and attitude that aches with maturity.

‘A False Sense of Security’ is the second track off the release and intrinsically showcases variant vocal tones and materialises the result of precisely arranged harmonization between vocals, bass, guitar and drums. The delivery of the lyrical content in this track works its way directly into audience’s heads, the phrase, “do you ever feel like you’ve forgotten all that you promised, all that you’ve promised yourself’’ feeling more like an intimate conversation being had with the band, rather than lyrics being delivered to listeners.

Within this release, Stories have found temperance between maintaining an intimacy with their audience while simultaneously cultivating a demanding grasp upon them. Through this, fluidity between tracks can be heard, technical prowess raining across the album as a whole while forging something truly deserving of the acclaim they have been showered with so far by fans and critics alike.

‘Alone In The Fallout’ works as an epitome track, showcasing the strength found within the contrasting vocal approach taken on their debut, compared to their past EP. ‘Alone in the Fallout’ progresses through a combination of light instrumental track that builds to a crescendo assisted by the gradual growth of vocal tone. From soft cleans vocals foreign to their pre-debut repertoire, through to raw cleans which ache with urgency and pure emotion, it can be heard that the decision to expand and diversify the vocal style of the band was a choice riddled with success and positive ramifications.

The Youth To Become signifies an evolution and new chapter for the Sydney based five-piece. What exactly to expect next from the band that have managed to successfully emerge with a release is certain influence and impact the way music lovers and makers, approach the creation and consumption of heavy music as an entity.

9/10