Artist Spotlights: Experience Growth and Catharsis with Young & Sick

Using spacious beats and slippery vocals as a canvas for introspection, Young & Sick wanders through an increasingly optimistic universe, guided by art and expression.

Artist Spotlights introduces you to small artists that may not be on your radar yet, but should be. With recently cancelled tours and income loss for small artists, there’s no time like the present to find new talent to support.

Written by Audrey Kendrick

Photo courtesy of Pooneh Ghana

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A one-man band, fashion designer, and free-spirited album cover artist, Nick van Hofwegen ambidextrously flexes his creative muscles, both sonically and visually. After creating the alien-esque characters in the cover art for Foster the People's debut album, Torches, and Maroon 5’s Overexposed, Hofwgen later founded his own solo act Young & Sick, an ambient electro-pop project. His raw, concise lyricism and clean sound design develop atmospheric and dimensional songs with soaring choruses. 

Ranging from subdued, reflective, and icy electronic to lively and emotional funk-infused pop, Y&S follows his mission to create prolific music that reflects the human experience and puts words to emotions. His journey to creating atmospheric arrangements and a personal brand of art follows a wide discography and experimentation with sound. 

After a series of initial EPs and singles, he released Ojai in 2018. The short, heartfelt EP introduced his ability to mix the traditional with the technological, seamlessly placing electronic samples throughout a lively sound. Its title track grows from a circling, chord-heavy piano riff into a living, breathing ode to reconciling the ever-moving quality of time. A rhythmic duo of bass and percussion introduces a mirrored set of harmonic vocals, giving way to a funky, shout-sung chorus. He cheerily calls, “Take me home / I wonder where it is?” The crystal-clear vocals and airy approach to an electronic sound continue into subsequent tracks “The Road” and "Dreams," a pop-y rendition of the Fleetwood Mac track. A closing stripped version of “Ojai,” takes away the glittery mask of a pumping bass line and percussion, leaving an emphasis on the reflective words alone.

Balancing a kick drum with light falsetto vocals is a key part of Size of Relief, a collection of original tracks released in 2019. With various energy levels in each track, the album toys with the BPM-focused energy of house music and the effortless cool of lo-fi. Replicating classical instruments as digital elements, he again achieves a dopamine-inducing combination. Synthetic mimicry of piano and violin move in synchronized riffs, adding dimension to heartfelt bangers like “Bitter End” and “Jet Black Heart.” The refreshing instrumentals mesh in between brass horns, which color songs of strength like “Size of Relief” and “It’s a Storm.”

Seasoned with the same wide range of traditional and digital elements, Y&S’ Demo Club focuses on individual growth, an appreciation for love, and peace found by acceptance. Synth sounds switch between soft landscapes and vibrant scenes throughout each song. Instead of wrestling with the inevitable sunrise referenced in “Ojai,” he has lived and learned, calmly saying, “Take your habits and call it a day / No need to look back, we're movin' on and on and on and on,” in “CAN I CHANGE.” An additional layer of an old-fashioned aesthetic in the form of grainy lo-fi and chopped piano adds to the track’s future-focused repertoire.

The newest sound of Young & Sick amplifies itself by gradually adding onto emptiness. “MONDAY” and “DINNER PARTY” are confessional, not hiding behind attention-grabbing instrumentation. Instead, the tracks are accompanied by a singular heart-beat-like drum and slowly introduced elegant horns or piano. Both focus on self-confidence and the journey to love who you are. The gorgeous strings and electric guitars of “ANGELS” and “CICADAS” elevate the - into weightless, easy-listening tracks with subtle beauty.

Aside from album illustrations, Hofwegen also dips into creating musical covers with a quarantine album dedicated to reimagining the likes of Destiny’s Child and Death Cab for Cutie. His cover of Passion Pit’s “Sleepyhead” slips into a comforting trance of carefree peace of mind. Its mantra-like intro is spaced out and mixed with samples of cicadas and chimes, reminiscent of a warm summer night. The scream-sung Passion Pit vocals are smoothed into Nick’s unwavering voice.

A collage of electronic, pop, funk, rock, lof-fi, old-fashioned, and classically inspired, the music of Young & Sick is as unrestrained as the lyrics’ messages. Hofwegen continuously draws, writes, and creates unique and off-center songs that aim to relate to wide-range experiences of being human. As his sound evolves he continues to be a powerhouse of art, posting daily on his Instagram with his own album covers, posters, videos, and drawings. With its pure intentions of unlimited imagination and honest expression, the Young & Sick project and its creations are ones to bear witness.

Listen to Young & Sick on Spotify. You can find him on Instagram and Twitter @youngandsick.