Mountains, deserts, random caves, you name it. If it’s a beautiful Californian natural structure, Young The Giant has probably performed a song there or is planning to do so, if it hasn’t already.

In their “In The Open” series, the California-based band records stripped down live versions of their music in scenic outdoors locations. Somehow, the covers are on par with their studio recordings, and at times, are even better.

Singer Sameer Gadhia’s lead vocals resonate beautifully in every song in the series. Everything from the simple percussion (usually an egg shaker) to the casual, wandering cinematography of the videos makes the “In The Open” versions of the songs a visually and sonically enticing experience.

Viewers will feel as though they’re right there with a bunch of scraggly-bearded brunettes as they perform amidst a naturally dramatically lit cave. The series showcases the band’s talent in its natural, pure form and based on the comment section on YouTube, I’m not the only one who loves it.

In the past five years, the quality of the “In The Open” videos has steadfastly improved, as has the band’s intricate showcasing of its natural talent. “In The Open” videos trickled out onto the band’s YouTube page up until 2014, and each one was better than the last in both audio and visual quality.

After almost a year’s break from releasing “In The Open” tracks on YouTube, the band is back with three “In The Open” versions of songs from their most recent album, 2014’s “Mind Over Matter.” As in the past, each song remains true to the original studio version’s essential frame, but is entirely distinct in tone.

Though the studio versions of the songs are great, they possess much more bravado, which the band intentionally strays from in the “In the Open” series. Gadhia’s vocal prowess and the elegance of the band’s use of guitar in every single song are consistently impressive. Of the songs that recently released, “Waves” is one of the more spellbinding covers for those exact reasons.

This recent influx of great acoustic versions may be a hint for fans to prepare for new music releases, or perhaps the band just wants you to get back into listening to restyled versions of their already established hits. Rather than wait around for other people to cover their music, the band actively helps you rediscover its music by essentially covering it itself. By bringing back old music, the band is reminding us all how damn talented it really is (not that I ever really forgot).

Young the Giant has made it clear that it’s planning on releasing another album in the near future. As exciting as a new album will be, I’m really hoping that an “In The Open” album is released sometime soon, possibly with a visual component to it since the YouTube videos of the performances add so much to them. In any case, releasing new “In The Open” videos before an entirely new body of work is a great idea — the band’s gaining even more traction so that the new album is relevant to an increasingly indie/alternate rock-aware audience.

Even if you haven’t heard of Young the Giant or cared much for alt or indie rock, if you like talented vocals and music that just makes you wish you lived in an eternal California summer, check out the band’s “In The Open” series. And trust me, in a city like Syracuse, feeling like it’s the summertime, at least for the duration of a three- to five-minute YouTube video, is worth it. It’ll make you wish you made the drive out to the New York State Fair right here in ‘Cuse last summer, when they performed for free at Chevy Court.

Isha Damle is a junior television, radio, film major. She rarely knows the actual lyrics to songs, but is good at faking it until she makes it. Plus, her version is probably better. She can be reached at  idamle@syr.edu or on Twitter @ishadamle.

Published on October 20, 2015 at 11:05 pm