East India Youth - Total Strife Forever

The title may initially seem like a play on The Foals’ Total Life Forever, but Total Strife Forever by East India Youth (William Doyle) is a record firmly concerned with the issues and moods of today. From the opening abrasive synth beginning of ‘Glitter Recession’, the record strives to engage the listener. It moves between exploring individual emotions such as loneliness and isolation to wider issues like the recession and related matters.

‘Dripping Down’ starts with a quiet melancholy which builds into an explosion of euphoria. It’s an effective modus operandi, which is perhaps under-utilised on the album. Other highlights include ‘Hinterland’, with its almost apocalyptic beeps building tension; and ‘Looking For Someone’, which explores the subject matter of loneliness and the associated moods really affectingly. Overall, the record is full of pessimism and each of the songs is juxtaposed by a noise collage – these are interesting, but over-used and the effect is diminished by having so many.

The tracks are split between instrumentals, collages and conventional songs, which showcase Doyle’s subtle but wonderfully eerie vocal performances.

All told, it’s a fascinating if not always completely realised offering.