In a sea full of 80’s synth-pop, Portugal’s Best Youth re-energizes the oversaturated genre with June 2018’s, “Cherry Domino.” Incorporating vocal elements found in groups and hitmakers like HAIM and Cyndi Lauper alongside familiar indie synth rock riffs, Best Youth’s formula is a well-balanced creation – over seven years in the making. Catarina Salinas leads with soft, pronounced vocals, while Ed Rocha Gonçalves supports as the band’s co-founding member.
Arriving on the scene in 2011, Best Youth’s career encompasses 1 EP, “Winterlies,” and 2 LP’s, 2015’s “Highway Moon” and recently-released, “Cherry Domino.” Recorded at CRC Studios by Chairlift’s Patrick Wimberly, Best Youth’s latest album includes a track with electro heavy-hitter, Moullinex – who they previously collaborated with in 2014. Central to “Cherry Domino’s” theme is the disappearing sense of personal connection caused by our chaotic world filled with conflict. If any Best Youth track speaks most to this – it’s the final song, “Disintegrate.” Its eerie sensibility is akin to a sci-fi thriller.
Setting the stage for “Cherry Domino,” “Highway Moon” was met with much success and fanfare across the board.
“Four years into an ascendant career, Portuguese duo Best Youth — vocalist Catarina Salinas and multi-instrumentalist Ed Rocha Gonçalves — are starting to make international inroads.” – musicOMH
“…the glitchy beats and catchy hooks of ‘Mirrorball’ oozes shades of ‘90s dancefloors, whilst ‘When All The Lights Go Down’ will send shivers down your spine with its delicate emotive grace. Treating us to an array of different genres and moods, fused together to create this alluring collection…” – Fortitude Magazine
Best Youth’s wonderful labor of love is sum of meticulous attention to detail while remaining close to the current generation’s greatest contemporaries. They’ve had the opportunity to tour at major festivals like Primavera, playing alongside Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Chvrches, and LCD Soundsystem. As a duo, Salinas and Gonçalves are unstoppable.
