One of my favorite aspects of music is watching a band grow/gain traction. It’s a beautiful thing. If you have never done that, you should. Youth Fountain is one of those acts for me. Here in Columbus, OH, we have a venue called Donato’s Basement aka the Pizza Dungeon. And yes it’s in the basement of a Donato’s restaurant. Anyway, I first saw Youth Fountain there with maybe a crowd of 35/45 people. A few months later they returned to a bigger group. As they kept coming back, the venues and crowds got bigger. That’s how it should be. So here we are years later and they are gearing up to release their 3rd full-length album on top of that they just started a tour supporting Story of the Year on their 20 years of Page Avenue tour. 

Together In Lonesome as I mentioned is the 3rd full length from this Canadian pop-punk/emo band. And it very well might be their best. It is twelve tracks of good honest songs that will no doubt have your head bopping and you singing along for days.

The first track, “What Tomorrow Brings” is a 27-second number that serves as the calm before the storm. However, in those short 27 seconds, you get a pretty good picture of this album. “Requiem” is the next track and Tyler Zanon wastes no time diving into what the overall theme of the release is, losing all he loves and pondering his place in the world. In this case, it is losing a loved one and wondering if we are truly enough for anyone. Something we all may have felt. And that is one of the things that stands out about Youth Fountain, Tyler writes some of the most relatable lyrics. Sometimes pop-punk gets a bad rep because people think it is for the kids/younger folk, no this is something we can relate to. The next track, “Fallen Short” continues where “Requiem” left off. Wondering if he is ever enough, the feeling of falling short. It starts with the line, “When was the last time I had a purpose? Will I make it out as a better person?” If that doesn’t hit you in the feels, I am not sure what will. “Identical Days” is a ripper. This is one that I cannot wait to hear live. Do you have those songs that just hit home but at the same time you just want to let loose and go nuts? This is that song. It’ll make you ugly cry and dance at the same time. It’s one of the catchiest tracks on the album. “Roses in My Backpack” was the single that got me excited for this album. It’s such a fun song but again the subject matter is a real one. It’s about that breaking point that we all have sometimes and just wanting to give up. Tyler has said this one is a personal favorite of his. The song was written years ago and he never released it until he uploaded an acoustic version in 2014. I for one am glad he is finally releasing it on an album. It’s inspirational. Towards the end of the album, there is a track called “Patterns”. WOW!!!! This is the one that I had to listen to a few times. I had to soak it all in, I don’t think I still have. It’s the track that’s going to pull at your heartstrings. The other aspect that makes this song what it is, is Tyler’s vocal delivery. It is soothing and it feels like a lighthouse bringing you in. 

When I think about pop-punk and where it is going, I think about Youth Fountain and this album. This is one of those albums that people are going to talk about as one that was part of a shift in the genre. It is that good. This band has been on the cusp of something great for a few years and this is it. Get used to seeing and hearing the name Youth Fountain.