"A captivatingly beautiful debut album" Silence and Sound
October 10, 2025 (New York, New York):
Youth from Kirin McElwain is out now digitally and on limited edition cassette. Negotiating elements of harsh noise with crisp passages of cello, the work balances the deft hand of classical training with the mysterious and often chaotic nature of modular synthesis. With the addition of ethereal vocals and unflinching electronic textures, the seven tracks skate between sub-heavy drone, loose pop song structures, and hypnotic synth textures.
“The juxtaposition of the ethereal with the harsh in this music is the result of getting very different parts of myself into conversation with each other, and is also reflective of the inner workings of my relationship to the cello.” shares McElwain. “I’m grateful to be able to express myself on my instrument, but my work with electronics has been a source of joy and liberation that has helped me evolve that relationship and has also given me a way to integrate these seemingly disparate aspects of myself."
Youth experiments with the breaking of expected forms, sitting with grief and uncertainty, and in the process forges a new musical language and artistic identity.
All music composed and produced by Kirin McElwain
Mixing, additional production Michael Beharie
Mastering M. Geddes Gengras
Halldorophone recorded at Elektronmusikstudion in Stockholm, SE
Vocals and cello recorded by Jonah Rosenberg at Blueberry Farms Studio in Brooklyn, NY
Electronics, viola da gamba, and additional vocals recorded at home by Kirin McElwain in Brooklyn, NY
Cello, halldorophone, modular synthesizer, viola da gamba, voice performed by Kirin McElwain
Additional modular synthesizer voice on Closer performed by Matthew Ryals
Synth bass on Youth performed by Eric Sluyter
Viola da gamba (bass line only) on Genius performed by Patricia Neely