You've probably never heard of Troves, and that's because they're brand new. Formed in Brighton, England, in early 2014, the band consists of Lani McDonagh (vocals), Lenny Mockridge (keyboards, programming, guitars) and Toby Horton (drums):
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They've taken down the music video for their lead track 'Youth in Decay' from Youtube for unknown reasons, but you can find it on Vimeo:
Their promotional write-up by their record label sums up the track's appeal succintly:
"Melancholic glacial pop, with infectious melodies and left-field minimalism: Troves layer the elegant subtlety of Lani McDonagh’s vocals over a backdrop of serene experimental textures...‘Youth In Decay’ is a three and a half minute passage where seconds and minutes are running out, ‘the bells chime/our youth is in decay/the clock leaks time/just watch me fade away’."
The lyrics beautifully describe the lyrical persona's despair (which the dancer in the video evokes in somewhat bizarre but beautiful manner) about what may be the death of a relationship, but which also seems to allude to something larger:
"You strip me down, we never had the patienceAt night, God and you know itYou were never good enough to show itWe never had the patienceThe bells chime, our youth is in decayThe clock leaks time, just watch me fade awayWe look for signs, maybe they're in decayWe always change too lateYou got me manic, I'm manic from all the madnessYou got me manic, I'm manic from all the madnessYou got me manic, I'm manic from all the madnessYour heart only brings mine sadness"
The track is anything but inert, propelled forward by a mid-tempo pulse, vibrating baseline and neat electronic beats that brilliantly capture that 'manic' energy that comes from the realisation that the moment of truth is fast approaching. 'Our youth' may be in decay, but it seems like something promising and new will emerge from this realization. I'm really hoping that Troves will be a able to follow up this breakthrough single with a solid album.
