Veil Of Sound: Dream-Pop Duo Causeway Youth Release Their Long-Awaited Debut EP

Causeway Youth have finally unveiled their debut EP (Credit: Basil Tan)

Matching a potent formula, the chemistry between Jazreel-Anne Teo and Esther Lim is sound and tangible, resulting in a tightknit relationship that you can perceive through their works. As a duo dubbed Causeway Youth, these buddies have been making music for daydreams, turning foggy musings into corporeal incarnations through their vivid expressions. Like a soporific mist, their repertoire enshrouds and lingers, leaving heady effects on a growing community that’s caught wind of their emergence these last few years.

Two years after their first single, Causeway Youth have casually dropped their debut EP, This Isn’t Where I Want To Be. The six-track collection features previously released material coupled with new reveals, displaying the audial bookmarks that document the evolution of their journey. “This Isn’t Where I Want to Be speaks about situations that friends or I personally have been in,” Jazreel-Anne vaguely explains on their Bandcamp page. “Initially, it wasn’t something I subconsciously decided that the EP will [sic] be about, but rather it just coincidentally happened.”

Causeway Youth is Jazreel-Anne Teo (vocals/guitar) and Esther Lim (guitar) [Credit: Basil Tan]

The record is full of the charm points that’ve bolstered the reputation of the duo. With both women on guitars, they produce a well-weaved interplay that forges a full sound, together with syrupy vocals and a meaty rhythm section. Their love for reverb-painted terrains and sweeping guitar hooks is put on a pedestal, creating a thick wave of sound reminiscent of the drifty energy of Real Estate. This takes shape liberally in all tracks, including the introductory, instrumental excursion of “This Is How It Begins”; the thumping “Small Talk” that deals with the patching up of strained ties; and the pleasantly danceable “Hide” that exhibits shades of ’90s dream-pop.

At just 23 minutes long, this is an intoxicating sojourn that soothes, providing an escape that’s hard to snap back from.

You can listen to This Isn’t Where I Want To Be on Spotify and Bandcamp. Follow Causeway Youth on their Facebook and Instagram pages to stay updated with their activities.