Tackling heart-wrenching subject matter head-on, singer/guitarist David Le’aupepe formed Gang of Youths in Sydney in 2011 to process extreme difficulties in his personal life. The band’s 2015 debut album, The Positions, did just that, laying bare the frontman’s painful divorce and mental health struggles against hard-charging indie rock topped with his tumultuous baritone. Rather than dwell in darkness, though, Gang of Youths’ anthems spin true stories of trauma into triumphant badges of survival and even hopefulness. Witness the empowering, Springsteen-worthy pulse driving “Let Me Down Easy,” from 2017’s Go Farther in Lightness. After winning four ARIA Awards for that record, the band became the inaugural performers on the Australian edition of MTV Unplugged in 2018. Religious faith has remained another key lyrical theme for Gang of Youths, deeply informing 2022’s angel in realtime. alongside its main inspiration, Le’aupepe’s late father.