Who is Yungblud?
Yungblud, born Dominic Harrison, is an alternative rock artist from Doncaster, United Kingdom. His music is heavily influenced by British punk and hip hop– you might think the two genres don’t go together but one cannot exist without the other.
Photo credit: Joey Tortuga from an Examiner interview
Why should you be listening to Yungblud?
Because it proves that punk is not dead. While his music may span multiple genres, his attitude, stage presence and strong opinions are very much rooted in punk rock. Punk originated from angst-ridden youth who wanted to change the world around them and Yungblud wants to do just that. He is influenced by The Clash, Bob Dylan, Rage Against the Machine and N.W.A– people who weren’t afraid to speak up.
In an interview with radio station Alt 92.3, he said“the people in charge right now don’t have a f—— clue. They’re stuck living in these old ideologies when really the world should be moving toward a future that’s about freedom for everybody.” He isn’t afraid to be confrontational in his music and he definitely doesn’t hold anything back. His music talks about gun control–”Machine Gun(F— The NRA),” confronts sexual assault in the party scene–”Polygraph Eyes,” and tackles the topic of anxiety–”Kill Somebody,” amongst other things.
These songs explode out of him when he’s on stage in his high energy performances, where he dances about in his iconic pink socks and smashes guitars. “I’ve got ADHD, and my whole life people thought I was some kind of troublemaker because I had all this energy,” he says. “Now when I step onstage, I have this hour when I can just be completely myself, just a massive ball of energy. Sometimes I get so lost in the performance, people look a little frightened—but that’s a good thing.”
If you like these artists, you’ll like Yungblud
Twenty-One Pilots, Arctic Monkeys, The Wombats, grandson.
What songs do I start with?
- Polygraph Eyes
- Kill Somebody
- Loner
- California
- 11 Minutes(with Halsey ft. Travis Barker)
- Godisaheartshapedluciddream (a mashup cover of God is a Woman by Ariana Grande, Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana and Lucid Dreams by Juice Wrld. I added this to the list because though he didn’t create these songs, the delivery this mashup proves his artistry and innovativeness.)