Youths make time for new single
Four years after the release of angel in realtime, the Australian rock outfit Gang of Youths has made a triumphant return, delivering a fresh sound that feels surprisingly light. In August, they released their first new music in four years, “Things Take Time,” following a highly anticipated performance at the Sydney Opera House.
This new track doesn’t just offer a change of pace; it offers a shift in perspective. While retaining the cinematic sweep that has long defined the band, “Things Take Time” embraces a simpler, more direct approach. The song delves into profound, cosmic themes, exploring the endless loop of birth, growth, death, and rebirth which encases all matter and energy.
The journey to this sound was anything but straightforward. The seed for the new material began with a lighthearted prompt: one of the band members jokingly asked the songwriter to write a song about plants while sitting in the backyard. This simple idea eventually grew into a deeper metaphor about settling down, starting families, and watching gardens grow—a surprisingly radical departure for a band historically known for emotional maximalism.
As the process unfolded, the band consciously chose restraint. Rather than piling on layers of mood, they aimed for clarity. The resulting track became an exercise in balance, allowing the core of the band’s voices to shine through. The recording session itself was an experiment, involving 389 vocal takes captured in one of the band members’ backyard studio in London.
The song ultimately finds its most surprising resonance in its quiet observation: what happens when you are simply overwhelmingly OK? It offers a thoughtful pause, reflecting on the complex interplay between fleeting existence and enduring reality.
Gang of Youths showcased this new work during their recent Sydney residency, playing “Things Take Time” alongside other new songs like “Major Arcana,” “Riverlands,” and “YeYu.” This performance marked their first Australian appearances in four years, signaling a renewed energy for the group.
The momentum is set for the band as they prepare for further international dates. They will be taking the music across the pond, playing four headline shows in November and December, including a stop in the U.K. on August 30th, before heading back to Europe.
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