As strange as family relationships can get, there will always be a bond between brothers. Time will pass and there will be times of love and times of disagreement but through it all that bond will remain. This seems to very true in the story of our recent find Victims Of The New Math.
The singer-songwriter duo is comprised of Thomas Young and Joseph “Joe” Young, two brothers who can’t seem to escape from the mid-‘60s-to- early-‘70s pop-rock era. The music was a little before their time, Boston-born Thomas is 47, Burbank-born Joe is 53 but it was always something they had in common. Music has remained both their passion and their hobby. They have been doing making it together off and on since the ‘80s. In the ‘90s, they took a break, went to college and started careers and families.
About 10 years ago, the math-influenced duo released their first CD, Set Theory Infinity, and chose the band’s somewhat ironic name, Victims of the New Math. Not much came of it and the brothers went back to their everyday lives.
The bug has bit again though and Victims Of The New Math have returned for a follow-up record titled Satellite Head. The 10 track record is a modern take on classic rock, filled with solos, catchy melodies, and rock ballads, all drenched in the raw rock and roll sound of guitars, keyboards, synthesizers, and even some trumpet. The album is truly a family affair, including sister Sue Halpin, who did the band photography; daughter Sophia Tew, who did the artwork for the album – a painting based on the title, and Thomas’s sons, Jackson, playing the trumpet; Nick, who came up with the album title, and William Tew, who photographed the cover, as well as Thomas’s wife Kelly, the overall inspiration for doing the album, and Joe’s wife Lynn, who is handling the marketing.
The lead “Satellite Head, Part 1” is a great introduction to their innovative sound. It has a ballad feel but features a spacey atmospheric undertone that brings in a psychedelic edge. The sweeping synths add layers of sound for the listener to get washed away in. There is a warmth within the tune that welcomes everyone inside their world.
Keep up with the future of Victims Of The New Math HERE.
