So Young #30
London’s So Young has been doing a great job of sharing the excitement of new indie music for 30 issues; we thought it was time to find out a little more about what they’re up to.
Sons of Raphael by Sarah Fabre
The bimonthly magazine specialises in interviewing the new generation of indie bands, but instead of relying on the standard press shots of the bands, they commission illustrators to draw the bands.
Iceage by Lauren Doughty
‘When we started, it made more sense for the magazine to be illustrated as I had just completed an illustration degree,’ explains art director Josh Whettingsteel, ‘I was able to get friends and members of my course involved. It felt way more interesting than simply using press shots.’
Personal Trainer by Anna Boulogne
Where they do use press shots, Josh collages them together to suit the aesthetic of the magazine, establishing its own unique identity. ‘We also felt that there were a few magazines in our world that were doing really great shoots with bands and we didn’t want to try and compete with them.’
Dry Cleaning by Josh Whettingham
The current cover stars Dry Cleaning, with singer Florence Shaw’s close up face surrounded by red curtains, ‘The video for their single Scratchcard Lanyard features this set up, and I thought it was too strong not to theme the cover around it, the idea just works so well for a cover. I designed it using photos are by Steve Gullick.’ It’s a perfect example of how the magazine offers physical reference points for the visual identities of the music it covers, as when fans pore over the details of record sleeve details.
Dry Cleaning by Pamela Guest
‘Then Pamela Guest, who illustrated the article inside the magazine, obviously saw the appeal of that layout too,’ adds Josh, ‘I didn’t know what she was going to create and she didn’t know what the cover looked like!’
So Young has managed to keep going over the pandemic, and if anything has benefitted from the lack of live music – its audience want to be reminded what they’re missing.
Meanwhile, Josh mentions the team have just launched their own music label, So Young Records; ‘I’m really looking forward to the challenge of introducing our aesthetic to that world!’
Editors: Sam Ford & Josh Whettingsteel