aaamusic | On 10, Feb 2011

It’s enough to make you stop and say, “What is that?” It being the gorgeous melodies and lean, spellbound guitar lines of Colin Caulfield, an English/French lit major who’s about to change what it means to be a shape-shifting singer-songwriter in the YouTube age.

Just ask Bradford Cox. He knows. Why, just a year ago, the Deerhunter frontman stumbled upon Caulfield’s organ-grinding rendition of “Rainwater Cassette Exchange” and said it’s “fantastically superior to the original. It actually sent shivers up my spine, especially during the second verse.”

Believe it or not, that chilling cover was just a warmup session. As killer as he is at capturing the very essence of everything from Animal Collective to Ariel Pink, Caulfied’s true talent is in telling his own Young Man stories. The first chapter of which goes by the name “Up So Fast”.

Released on Chess Club on March 14th the track is a deceivingly-simple song about wanting to grow up without having the slightest idea of what ‘being a man’ actually means. The restless rhythms (Caulfield was a drummer well before he became a singer/guitarist) and room-engulfing intimacy is complimented by one of the most hopeful/haunting choruses you’ll hear this year. Backed with the equally stunning track “Strangers”, the quiet finger-picked guitar builds up to a lovely reverb-laden and catchy peak.

And that’s just the beginning, of course. Since Young Man was conceived as a concept project about the passing of time, love, and loss, Caulfield already has two loosely-linked LPs on tap, toured alongside Lou Barlow, Local Natives and will join the hotly tipped Vaccinesin Paris next month.

“A lot of it’s autobiographical,” explains Caulfield, “but it’s universal at the same time, because everyone goes through these things.”

Listen closely. It’ll all make sense soon enough. Trust us.

www.myspace.com/ColinCaulfield

Young Man UK Shows
07/03 – The Social – London
08/03 – White Head @ Madame JoJos – London