Comprised of Hannes Norvide, Loke Rahbek and Malthe Fischer, the Copenhagen, Denmark-based trio, Lust For Youth can trace their origins to when the act began as the self-described “dark, cold, atonal, lonely, tormented” and “lower than lo-fi” solo recording project of founding member Norvide. When longtime collaborator Rahbek and producer and guitarist Fischer joined the project, the project went through a radical change of sonic direction with their debut effort, International, an album that received international attention for a sound that bore an uncanny resemblance to Depeche Mode, The Pet Shop Boys and New Order. In others words it’s slickly produced electro pop that isn’t so polished or slick that you don’t recognize that there’s an earnestly beating human heart beneath the synths and drum machine programming.
The Danish act’s latest single “Better Looking Brother” continues the synth pop-based sound that won the trio international attention — but perhaps increasingly club friendly as the song which is comprised of shimmering guitar chords, tribal drumming, cascading synths paired with seemingly disaffected and distracted vocals that express ambivalence, heartache and jealousy within a highly dysfunctional relationship. Sonically, the song sounds as though they drawing influence from In Ghost Colours-era Cut Copy and New Order as the song bears a similar slick polish — all while retaining the song’s aching core.
