Adam Young Releases His Melodic Dubstep Debut Another Life

Adam Young begins with a song for his girlfriend and ends with a debut album. Another Life, out on 15 August through Artificial Yntelligence, LLC, collects 13 tracks of predominantly melodic dubstep with house finding its way in. Young produced his album himself, with vocal features from Aleesia and Alaina Cross.

The Miami-based artist had aspired to make music for years but, once he had jumped in, discovered he had a lot to express. Heartbreak, longing, distance and the thrill of a love to come all feature in the writing. So does the joy of actually getting to do something he had so long imagined doing.

“What was supposed to be a single track accidentally turned into an entire album, and one of the most fun things I’ve ever done,” Young writes on his website.

Love and Melodic Dubstep

Melodic dubstep makes for a good fit for songs not inclined to hide their feelings. Young’s writing is straightforward: he wants someone close, he calls out when they hurt him, and he has no problem saying he loves them. The house material moves into the broader realm of subgenres but relationships and heartbreak remain the central preoccupation of the writing.

Throughout the record Young writes of desiring someone and missing them, being let down and finding the strength to move on again. He leaves the space for those feelings to co-exist. The more optimistic songs have the same place in the album as the painful ones, reflecting his account of a period when a difficult ending had been followed by a relationship where he discovered that someone can love him the way he loves.

“Everything went into this album: the growth, the hurt, the pain, the heartbreak, and the overwhelming love she gives me,” he writes on his website. “It is literally a piece of my life.”

He is particularly keen to state one particular point: “I didn’t give up on love. I never will. It’s too important to me.” That refusal to turn cynic provides much of the album’s warmth. There is still something out there worth writing a love song for.

The Song That Started It

Aleesia features on “Twisted Fate”, the song that got it all going. Young’s new girlfriend, now fiancé, had encouraged him to write and produce something for her. When she later travelled home to prepare for a move to Miami, he wrote a poem during their time apart. That poem became the basis for the lyrics in the song.

Writing “Twisted Fate” inspired Young to keep going and the experience led to a much bigger project.

“I loved making it so much I couldn’t stop writing,” Young says.

Alaina Cross appears on “When I Dream,” the other credited vocal feature. Both featured vocalists are part of an album completely produced by Young. His debut reaches well beyond the original song, covering the title track and additional songs in its 13-track line-up.

The complete lyrics are published alongside the album on his website. Young is plain in describing what he wants and what he has lost, leaving the words for the listener to read for themselves.

From the Crowd to a First Release

Young’s love of electronic music extends to being in the crowd. “I love the feeling of thousands of people sharing the same moment under the same sky,” he writes.

A single song about one relationship can mean something totally different for the person hearing it. Young’s hope is these songs find their way to someone who needs them. To give listeners proof they’re not alone and hope that love is out there for them too. In his account of making the album he puts the ambition in the terms of a single listener.

“And if it helps one person get through something hard, it was worth every second of work.”

Young is already looking ahead. After a project he hadn’t expected to make, his closing thought on the album page is simply: “Excited for what I create next.”

Another Life is available on Spotify.