If you love post-hardcore or the kind of raucous punk rock that makes you want to grab your friends and rush the pit, come early to Phono Del Sol festival, one of the Bay Area’s best days for music, and catch local rockers Never Young for their set in the sunshine on Saturday, June 17. When I caught up with one of Never Young’s principal songwriters Nikolas Soelter (disclosure: he’s also a writer for The Bay Bridged), we spoke about the band’s love of playing live and what’s next for Never Young.
The origin of the group goes way back — Nik and co-conspirator Christopher Adams have known each other since they were 14. And when the two found themselves both living in the Bay Area, this new project quickly formed. These days, Nik said, “We’ve been focused on writing the best songs we can write. And songs that are fun to play. Never Young is definitely a live experience, that’s what we really love — performing live.”
I hear so many of my favorite post-hardcore bands in the echoes of Never Young’s music, but there’s an urgency to their sound that is decidedly of this moment. I asked Nik about what the band is currently spinning while on tour and early inspirations. He said, “We’ve been listening a lot to Jay Som (who is also appearing at Phono Del Sol), Angel Olsen, Chastity Belt, and Girlpool. When we were just starting the band was listening to a lot of Fugazi and My Bloody Valentine.”
Never Young just wrapped recording their new record, which will be coming later in 2017. The group went back into the studio with Jack Shirley who previously played in Comadre and has produced records for Deafheaven, Joyce Manor, and Loma Prieta. Nik explained, “Jack does a really good job of capturing our live feel. We also had a lineup change so now our friend Jeff Day is playing bass, we’ve played music together for eight years so having him in the band now feels really natural. Kevin Figueroa is playing drums now and I am always blown away by his drumming. So I’d say everything has come together in a really great way for this first LP, and we’re feeling very positive about the future.”
Come hear Never Young in their natural habitat, thrashing across the stage at Phono del Sol and look out for their new record later this year. In the meantime, get your fix with “Beta Male Erotica” from their 2016 release Singles Tape II: SoftBank. And I’ll see you all in the sun-drenched pit of Phono fest soon.
Phono del Sol: Thee Oh Sees, The Coathangers, Jay Som, Never Young, and more
Potrero del Sol Park
June 17, 2017
12pm, $29
