In December 2010, San Francisco's young navel-gazers, Young Prisms found themselves stranded in London's Heathrow Airport due to what was considered an epic ice storm. Looking back, It must have surely been a test of wills, especially for a road-weary group of stoned NoCal tykes. I mean, how did they score weed? This and a handful of other eye-opening events paved the way for what would be the band's most prolific songwriting output to date.

 

A little over a year later, Young Prisms sees the release of their sophomore LP In Between this spring [March 27, 2012] on Kanine Records. Still a five piece, (albeit a different five) the album captures the highs and the lows of the last year. Born out of the traumatizing Heathrow crisis and the death of a loved one, a strong sense of rejection, loneliness, and despair all play a huge role in the creation of In Between.

 

However, It’s not all doom and gloom and it’s not like childhood friends Gio Betteo and Matthew Allen didn’t see the changes coming (they named their first album Friends For Now). They just didn’t expect it all to happen in such a dramatic fashion. Still united with singer Stefanie Hodapp and drummer Jordan Silbert, the Prisms welcomes a second female vocalist/guitarist, Ashley Thomas.

 

It’s this addition that brings a softer, more melodic touch to their fuzzed out sound. If Friends For Now yields comparisons to My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain, In Between lends itself more to the Mazzy Star, Slowdive end of the spectrum – and one need not look any further than lead single "Four Hours (Away)". Its gentle swing and sullen vocal sweep will melt hearts and help pass those cold and dark hours.

 

To spotlight how the band has made peace with the past year, check out "Runner", which will put a bounce in your step, while "Dead Flowers" has the Prisms stepping on their pedals harder than ever. Album opener "Floating in Blue" will fill your head with swirly dream pop and the guitar-drenched "Midnight’s When" pays homage to the innocent 50’s inspired lullaby that Mary Chain fans will swoon to both awake and asleep

 

Enlisting the production of Monte Vallier (Weekend, Mark Eitzel) and once again as a full five piece, the Prisms sound refreshed and Young again. With Allen having moved outside the city, Betteo and Allen began traveling back and forth in between homes to write this record. The result is a perfect soundtrack to the loneliest road trip down California Highway 1…where the lights dim and flicker as the sun sets on the pacific while the fog and haze return to the Redwood Forests and Coastal Cliffs.

 

Young Prisms are heading back on the road this spring in support of In Between, including a trip to SXSW, and they have plans to visit the UK, but not ‘til the summer of course.