Total Strife Forever

East India Youth

Total Strife Forever

Debut full-length release from London-based experimental producer, songwriter and singer William Doyle, encompassing electronica, techno, shoegaze and dream pop

ADM rating[?]

8.1

Label
Stolen Recordings
UK Release date
13/01/2014
US Release date
21/01/2014
  1. 10.0 |   The Skinny

    A remarkable album of astonishing scope and beauty, with an effortlessly direct emotionality
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  2. 9.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    A startling album - the best thing you'll hear in these tempestuous January days, and one that will continue to burn brightly long after the embers of 2014 have burnt out
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  3. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    William Doyle as East India Youth has delivered a stunningly exquisite work on his very first go
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  4. 9.0 |   The 405

    Whilst [his] references are clear, at no point does it seem like East India Youth is just trying to replicate his idols. Total Strife Forever pulls together these influences and creates something truly extraordinary
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  5. 9.0 |   Clash

    It’s no exaggeration to suggest that Total Strife Forever is the first truly great album of 2014
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  6. 9.0 |   Uncut

    A major new British talent is born. Print edition only

  7. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Total Strife Forever is breathtaking. It might get tough sometimes, lonely and desolate even, but Doyle’s catharsis will hoist you by the bootstraps into lusher pastures
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  8. 9.0 |   God Is In The TV

    If this record is not a commercial success that makes a big impact on those (for now) far off best of the year lists in eleven months’ time, then there is something seriously wrong
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  9. 8.5 |   The Quietus

    An often fairly classicist pop record which nods heavily towards naggingly familiar influences, yet doesn't feel like it could exist at any other time than now
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  10. 8.5 |   Under The Radar

    It's a rare album in this genre that blends relaxation with excitement so perfectly, that stays cool without ever being aloof or dragging
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  11. 8.0 |   Entertainment.ie

    Total Strife Forever is a glorious collision of musical ideas and styles and pop music's most daringly creative statement of 2014 to date
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  12. 8.0 |   The Music

    It’s an ambitious debut, but gosh it’s a stunner
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  13. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    For all the joys of multi-genre artists to come, Doyle’s debut is still well worth saluting
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  14. 8.0 |   Mojo

    East India Youth's debut is a triumph. Print edition only

  15. 8.0 |   Time Out

    Totally Strife Forever is dark and kind of depressing. It features long stretches of ambient noise, and some aggressively pounding beats. But it also has moments of acute sincerity to melt anyone’s wintry heart
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  16. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    An inventive composer who can turn his hand to Harold Buddesque soundscapes one minute and surprisingly banging techno such as Hinterland the next
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  17. 8.0 |   NME

    Well-executed without being overtly organised or coherent, highly original and full of promise. Print edition only

  18. 8.0 |   Q

    Doyle's dizzying arpeggios inspire the same sense of awe as gazing up at tall buildings. Print edition only

  19. 8.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    It’s time for a new approach to minimalist songwriting, one that isn’t yet another pale imitation of The xx, to permeate the mainstream, and East India Youth has offered up a serious candidate in that regard
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  20. 8.0 |   DIY

    Innovative, cerebral and yet totally accessible, Total Strife Forever is an incredibly impressive record
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  21. 7.5 |   Crack

    There’s more than enough here to indicate the unveiling of a nascent and hugely capable auteur
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  22. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    At its best, Total Strife Forever is truly thrilling
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  23. 7.0 |   The Fly

    An ambitious, absorbing debut, and still probably only a glimpse of what East India Youth’s capable of
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  24. 7.0 |   Fact

    In terms of compositional sophistication, Doyle struggles to compete with the Jon Hopkinses of this world, his emotional brushstrokes unambiguous and delineated
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  25. 6.0 |   The Observer

    The jumps between genres barely jar once you realise how good Doyle is at all of them
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East India Youth: Total Strife Forever

  • Download full album for just £5.49
  • 1. Glitter Recession £0.99
  • 2. Total Strife Forever I £0.99
  • 3. Dripping Down £0.99
  • 4. Hinterland £0.99
  • 5. Heaven, How Long £0.99
  • 6. Total Strife Forever Ii £0.99
  • 7. Looking For Someone £0.99
  • 8. Midnight Koto £0.99
  • 9. Total Strife Forever Iii £0.99
  • 10. Song For A Granular Piano £0.99
  • 11. Total Strife Forever Iv £0.99
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