Mind Over Matter, Young the Giant’s second full album, turned 10 years old this year. The album itself made it to seventh place on the Billboard 200 album ranker, and has also appeared in a few TV shows and video games.
Mind Over Matter is mostly a mix of upbeat songs and emotional lyrics. The songs “Mind Over Matter,” “Crystallized” and “Daydreamer” follow a similar pattern. The instruments are rock-ish, with electric guitar, keyboard and drums, but the lyrics talk about love, relationships, anger and optimism.
Songs like “Firelight” and “Camera” have powerful lyrics, but are not quite upbeat. The vocals on both of those songs take the place of strong instrumental volume, and instead of heavy guitar and drums, the songs primarily feature keyboard or piano. These two songs are also the longest on the album, accounting for the slower pace they follow.
When the album first came out, it was not very popular outside its core fans, and the album did not make it big on the radio. Now, with more people having apps like TikTok and Instagram, fans can more easily connect with the band and other fans of the music, On TikTok, “Mind Over Matter” has been used as the background song to couples trends and is often used in edits.
Young the Giant has made the Billboard Hot 100 twice with songs from their first album, Young the Giant, with “Cough Syrup” reaching 95th and “My Body” reaching 65th. The band has also had songs from other albums included in shows like Outer Banks, The Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf.
If you like alternative music or indie rock, you will like this album, either for the sound or the amazing lyrics. The songs can be enjoyed with close listening, or can also work great for background music.
Overall, with the catchy lyrics, powerful vocals and soothing blend of instruments in each song, it’s easy to give this album 5/5.