Young The Giant

Young the Giant are an American indie rock band formed in Irvine, California in 2004, originally under the name The Jakes. The band — vocalist Sameer Gadhia, guitarists Eric Cannata and Jacob Tilley, bassist Payam Doostzadeh, and drummer François Comtois — built their following through consistent touring before signing to Roadrunner Records and building a mainstream profile. Young the Giant (2010), their self-titled debut, produced the alt-rock radio hit My Body and established the band as one of the more polished and melodic acts in the American indie rock mainstream. Mind Over Matter (2014) debuted at number three on the Billboard chart, its ambitious scope incorporating influences from classic rock, Indian classical music, and progressive pop, reflecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of the bandmembers. Home of the Strange (2016) made these multicultural influences more explicit, with the band addressing their experiences as first- and second-generation immigrants through both lyrical content and musical texture — a notable and deliberate statement in the context of the political climate of the period. Mirror Master (2018) continued this direction. Young the Giant are distinguished in the indie rock mainstream by their willingness to engage with questions of identity, immigration, and belonging at a level of lyrical and conceptual depth unusual for the format. Their fanbase is devoted and their live shows consistently praised for their energy and musicianship.