For the first time, Gang Of Youths were doing alright. The quartet’s frontman and primary songwriter, David Le’aupepe, had spent ten years mining all the heaviest experiences of his life for music that made its name on visceral catharsis and open-hearted vulnerability. But after all the exorcisms across the first three Gang Of Youths albums, Le’aupepe and his bandmates — Jung Kim (keys, guitar), Donnie Borzestowski (drums), and Tom Hobden (violin, guitar, keys) — all found themselves relatively content. No longer would the next Gang Of Youths album be a diaristic exploration of trauma, identity, and grief. It necessitated a nearly complete overhaul of how they made music, resulting in the evolution of their fourth album, Compañero.
