On the sixth studio album from Young The Giant, called Victory Garden, the band described the approach to the record as a tribute to “radical empathy.” We could all use a bit of that these days with the state of the world being what it is, and the constant barrage of negative news outweighing any glimmers of good. On the opening track of “Evergreen”, Young The Giant have the concept of a garden top of mind as frontman Sameer Gadhia croons, “Don’t blink, or you might miss it / ‘Life is a garden’, you said / Just walk among the flowers / Don’t kill or be devoured,” in a way of setting the tone for the very topical album that is built around the human elements of accepting others. The set was co-produced by veteran Brendan O’Brien (Incubus, The Killers) as well as the band, and Victory Garden is another solid effort from one of the most consistent bands in the current Alt Rock scene.

Chalk this one up to pretense. 

The highly anticipated sophomore follow-up to Young the Giant’s juggernaut self-titled debut is a mixed bag of awkwardness, superfluous breathiness and more brain-wracking lyrics. Plenty might find album opener “Slow Dive,” gorgeous and inviting but really it’s a waste of 40 seconds that serves no purpose. Ditto for the punchy “Anagram,” which has a cheery chorus and a sun-drenched vibe but does very little on repeat listens. Sure, there’s moments of prettiness and the song does have its share of pleasant moments but it lingers for far too long and is only rescued by Sameer Gadhia’s otherworldly vocals. First single “It’s About Time” is even more confused as it seems to stretch the band into a genre they’re not well suited for. Equal parts garage-pop and avant-garde indie, it sounds way too much like a band trying too hard.