Nostalgia Hits Hard In Belle & Sebastian’s Newest Single ‘Young And Stupid’

Belle & Sebastian are setting out to make their triumphant return with a new studio album for the first time in seven years. 

This forthcoming LP, ‘A Bit Of Previous’, is being released 7/5/22 and is highly anticipated by their loyal fan-base. 

Their latest offering from the album is the single ‘Young And Stupid’. This is a touching and light-hearted song about being at peace with oneself about life and aging and urges one not to take life too seriously: To keep being young and stupid.

Being veterans in their craft, the band wonderfully meshes together the musicality and the lyrics to create a coherent track. A steady rhythm guitar and drums, accompanied by a melodic fiddle has the listener tapping their foot almost before they realize what is happening. In come the classic indie/60s rock vocals, playing on rougher vocal quality and a sing-song melody. These raw tones make the song more accessible to the listener. In fact this almost makes it feel as though one is already hearing the song live. Surely this single will be a favourite amongst those attending Belle & Sebastian’s upcoming tours both this year and in 2023.

Special attention should be paid to the lyricism of this song. As short and sweet as this song may be, the lyrics pack a punch. They manage to discuss aging and pain that comes with it and changes in group dynamic while simultaneously giving the listener a sense of hope and community. Especially poignant is the final, slightly nihilistic, rumination on how small human issues are; that all of the negativity ultimately doesn’t matter. This group is special in that their friendship and joy seem not to have wavered all too much throughout their lengthy career. They seem to find passion where other bands would’ve otherwise found boredom and loss.

For fans of the Merseyboat sound and nostalgic 60s bands such as The Hollies, or even vocally The Dead and The Byrds, Belle & Sebastian will be a welcome addition. And for those wishing to add to their roster of sing-along songs, ‘Young And Stupid’ will fit beautifully into their collection.

 

Chloe Boehm

@chlojo98

Image: ‘Young and Stupid’ Official Single Cover