If you needed yet another reason to love Overcoats, bless them because they just gave it to you. At the end of April, Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell, uber-talented vocalists/musicians/all-around stargrlz, released their highly anticipated debut album, Young, and it’s a game changer.
The 12-song album, co-written by the duo, builds upon their self-titled EP (which featured “Smaller Than My Mother”, “The Fog”, “Walk On”, and “Little Memory”), adds some killer production creds from Nicholas Vernhes and Autre Ne Veut, and brings several new songs into the fold, each imbued with its own personality. The more familiar tracks have also been revamped, creating a fuller, more mature soundscape that personifies where Overcoats have been, where they are, and where they’re going. And boy, are they going places.
But let’s start with the gift they just put out into the world. Young is a retrospective on what Overcoats have learned as a duo and as individuals. While each song has its own story, the album, when played through chronologically, becomes a narrative of the past few years Hana and JJ have been making music together. It’s a diary they’ve shared with the world, filled to the brim with stories, lessons, and experiences that span a young lifetime. Overcoats reckon with growing up, coming-of-age, the complexities of love, and so much more. They’re vulnerable and strong, and help us understand that we all have a deep strength inside of us and a journey that’s all our own.
Overcoats have an incredible ability to create honest stories that allow us to heal openly. A subtle, but ever-present concept throughout the album is learning who we are in the world and coming to terms with the ways in which we have changed (and are constantly changing). Though we may be young, we have loved and have been loved; we have lost and have been lost; we have learned and we have a lot left to learn; but we are all well on our way.