“Made in Heaven” is the first new track in four years from Youth Novel, a screamo band that began in Michigan and is now based in New York City. The single introduces their upcoming LP I Went Through This Experience Smiling, marking the band’s return to form with a raw, carefully layered sound that revisits and expands their emotionally dense, chaotic hardcore roots.
The band originally formed in 2012, disbanded in 2017, and later regrouped during the pandemic. Guitarist Maya Chun and bassist Jon Riley revisited unreleased material with new vocalist Nathan Whittle, leading to the posthumous self-titled LP released via Zegema Beach Records.
That record, described as “frantic, ’90s-style screamo” by BrooklynVegan, leaned into darker, more claustrophobic textures, with all three members contributing vocals to intensify the sensory experience. Songs like “XVII” revealed a contrast with EITS-style post-rock structures, offering occasional calm within the chaos.
“Made in Heaven” builds on that legacy while carving a sharper psychological edge. The track confronts the complexities of treatment-resistant depression and ketamine therapy, using its structure and dynamic shifts to mirror the stages of the experience.
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The band describes it as capturing “the fear, beauty, and relief found in such a treatment,” culminating in an outro that “reflects the momentary peace that can come when a struggle has been addressed.”
Throughout, the band channels their signature blend of emotionally fraught guitar work, pounding drums, and harsh vocal interplay. “Marking a return to the classic screamo style the band championed during their formative years,” the single keeps its intensity grounded in reflection rather than excess.
The themes—anchored in mental illness, disassociation, and therapeutic confrontation—stay consistent with Youth Novel’s previous explorations of psychological turbulence, but the execution feels more focused, more deliberate.
The song’s cinematic pacing and intricate arrangements serve the internal logic of the track’s subject matter. Very reflective, with constantly engaging progressions. The outro offers a quiet that feels earned.
More than a reunion or a stylistic callback, “Made in Heaven” comes off like a continuation of work paused mid-sentence. With I Went Through This Experience Smiling on the horizon, Youth Novel are finishing something they started a long time ago, and letting it speak with the gravity it’s always carried.
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