So Young: A music zine packed with illustrational punch

Records and magazines are two physical objects of creativity which are repeatedly said to be dying out. A publication that defies this notion entirely is music zine, So Young. After three years and ten issues filled with an illustrational punch, editor and art director Sam and Josh decided to celebrate with their 11th release. “This special edition fondly looks back but excitedly looks forward,” they say.

So Young has always been a labour of love. Its creators describe the zine as “a gift from us to you under the assumption that you keep going to gigs, buying records and looking at the sleeve artwork as you listen”. It’s a zine the pair created after graduating, in their spare time after work, and was initially given away for free.

A publication that wouldn’t be without the musicians it has been inspired by, the issue champions the So Young darlings, bands such as Palma Violets, Fat White Family, Wolf Alice and Swim Deep who have been lucky enough to grace its covers. However the issue also predicts the future fuss-causing bands interviewing The Lemon Twigs and HMLTD as well as introducing Dead Pretties, Our Girl and Cabbage.

Consistently each of these bands have had their musical personas represented through Josh’s art directional eye of brilliantly bold and contemporary illustration. Flicking through the issue is a delight of familiar faces including Jean Jullien, Gabriel Alcala and Jack Sachs, as well as a nod to It’s Nice That Graduates Maddy Mould and Oscar Mitchell.

Issue 11 of So Young is available to buy here.