Electric Youth by STAHV

It was 1987 when I discovered Electric by The Cult in the vinyl section of the local library. The cover had gothic gargoyles, Ian Astbury’s raven locks, and Billy Duffy’s bone-white pompadour. My 11-year-old self was instantly bewitched. I brought it home, put it on the turntable, and began a lifelong infatuation with the record.

Sure, I recognized the touchstones like AC/DC and Zeppelin and the Stones from Bay Area rock radio. (Rest in peace, 98.5 KOME.) The Cult was a different animal—earthier and more ethereal at the same time. The unhinged vibrato-laced vocals and gratuitous pentatonic soloing transfixed that young man. “Wild Flower” into “Peace Dog,” “Electric Ocean” into “Bad Fun." It was all too much fun. So, I flipped the album over it on and jumped off the couch to the sped-up finale of “Love Removal Machine.” Electric culminated with the stop-start showstopper “Memphis Hip Shake.” A fresh Cult member caught his breath.

After Electric, I went back and discovered Dreamtime, Love, and even Death Cult. I moved forward with the band and entered their Sonic Temple, joined their Ceremony. Still, Electric never left my bones. It was my first exposure to the group. I didn’t know some fans considered the album’s classic rock about-face a betrayal. They debated the fact that they hired hipster sonic savant Rick Rubin after attempting a version closer to their prior incarnation. Whatever. To me, it was absolute perfection.

My ensuing years as a musician led me through many stylistic investigations: doom metal, southern rock, power pop, Americana. Electric stayed by my side. It remained a faithful friend, demanding nothing but providing the lifegiving power of riffs and throaty belting.

In 2021, I decided to cover the whole damn thing from start to finish. Electric Youth poured out of me in about ten days. Between dog walks and work commitments, I snuck in recording sessions. Like Ian and Billy under Rubin’s tutelage, I had a former bandmate who encouraged me every step of the way. He helped me let it all hang out in the ways that I knew. Yet, unlike The Cult’s single-minded approach, all sounds were open territory for me: folk, fuzz, synth, TR-808 bass drums. I can hear bits of Ty Segall, Soft Cell, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, St. Vitus. But to me, it's faithful. Or, as an early listener friend put it, “the aesthetics of each song are polar opposite to the original but the ‘bouillon’ of the OG song is still intact.”

Maybe the primary element that connects Electric Youth to The Cult’s album is the power of song sequencing. As different as these takes are, when “Born to Be Wild” goes into “Outlaw,” the contrast is just as vital. (This, even though my version of the former evokes a space disco and the latter a spaghetti western.) Ultimately, Electric Youth is my 40-minute love letter to an album. Electric taught me, through its very shameless existence, that to rock is, indeed, a divine right.

About STAHV:

Seattle-based doomgaze act STAHV is Solomon Arye Rosenschein. Over the course of a full length and three EPs, STAHV has developed an eclectic sound by combining atmospheric keyboards with guitars slathered in layers of loops, cavernous reverbs, and myriad delays. Willamette Week describes STAHV as, “cinematic glory that blends guitar loops with lush synths to create bombastic modern soundscapes." Live, STAHV has appeared at curated festivals like Northwest Terror Fest and Freakout Fest as well as supporting ACTORS, Yamantaka//Sonic Titan, The Obsessed, TRAITRS, and others.

"Rosenschein was at ground zero from act one, scene one. His early 1990s bands played with Sleep, Neurosis, and Kyuss."-Pandora Curator’s Choice

"Elements of heavy psych-rock, doom metal, post-rock, noise-rock and more."-KEXP

"His first self-titled album holds my interest from beginning to end." -Decibel

"With a flair for the futuristic and a nod to the past, STAHV blends sci-fi with swagger, creating something that’s both familiar and entirely alien." -Post-punk.com

"Droids on acid! It’s part Bowie and part Star Wars, and it’s wrapping me up in cosmic synths and pulsing beats and indie riffs and electronic fuzz."
-CVLT Nation

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