Atomic Youth

Last updated
Atomic Youth
Atomic Youth - Illustrated Band Members.jpg
Illustrations of the virtual band members. Left to right: Juice, Jingo, Johnny, and Jam.
Background information
Also known as
  • アトミック・ユース [1]
  • Атомик Юс [2]
  • 原子青春 [3]
  • 아토믹 유스 [4]
OriginEngland [5]
Genres progressive metal, metalcore, folk rock, math rock, chiptune
Years active2016-present [a]
Labelsi² [6] [7] [8]
Members
  • Juice Longshanks
  • Little Johnny
  • Jingo Scribbins
  • Jam Ælfwin
Past membersJethro [b]
Website atomicyouth.org

Atomic Youth is an English virtual band [5] created by artist and musician superspink. [9] [10] The project combines elements of progressive metal, folk rock, electronic music, and chiptune, featuring four illustrated and 3D-rendered fictional band members. [11] Drawing on themes from English folklore, the project presents a stylized multimedia universe that merges music, visual art, and mythology. [12] [13]

Contents

History

A 3D-style example of Atomic Youth's virtual members. Atomic Youth - Promotional Photo 1 (wallpaper).png
A 3D-style example of Atomic Youth's virtual members.

The project was founded in 2016, [11] [14] with the band's first official release, AYV I-V Sunset Trajectory, appearing in 2017. [15] The project centers on four fictional members [16] - Juice Longshanks, Little Johnny, Jam Ælfwin and Jingo Scribbins - who are consistently presented through both stylized illustration and 3D renders described as hyperreal. [17] [18]

A video game set in the band's fictional universe was announced in 2025. [19] [20] [21]

Musical style

Illustration of Jingo Scribbins, Atomic Youth's flautist and synth player. Atomic Youth - Jingo (Illustration style).png
Illustration of Jingo Scribbins, Atomic Youth's flautist and synth player.

Atomic Youth is an instrumental project rooted in progressive metal, incorporating elements of progressive rock, folk rock, electronic music, and chiptune. [22] [23] [24] Their compositions feature shifting time signatures, polyrhythms, and extended instrumental sections. [25] [26]

The band makes use of traditional instruments such as lute, mandolin, and penny whistle alongside electric guitar and synthesizers, with some arrangements drawing on English folk music and triple meter forms such as jigs. [27] [28] Their electric instrumentation also includes seven-string and baritone guitars, providing an extended range for lower tunings and heavier textures. [29] Keyboards and synthesizers range from melodic leads to ambient layering, sometimes incorporating harpsichord passages, scratching and chiptune sequences. [30] [31]

While largely instrumental, some recordings include short spoken monologues or voice samples attributed to the band’s fictional characters. The group describes its sound as "Wyrd Metal", [32] [14] a self-defined term referencing the Old English word Wyrd for their fusion of folk frameworks with progressive metal and experimental structures. [33] [34]

Concept

Atomic Youth’s fictional members are presented through illustrated and 3D-rendered imagery, with the project’s website and promotional material adopting a comedic, absurd tone influenced by traditions of British humour. [35] [36]

The official website expands on this presentation through in-universe material such as fictionalized vignettes, parody news articles (Atomic Zephyr), [37] and mock interviews, making use of metafiction and parodying aspects of the music industry and popular media while further developing the band’s fictional universe and characters. [38]

Virtual members

Atomic Youth consists of four fictional characters who perform different instrumental roles. The designs combine elements of folklore, mythological archetypes, and contemporary pop culture. [11]

Juice Longshanks is depicted as a tall, green-skinned woman who plays bass for the band. [39] Promotional material references the Grindylow, the Green Man, and the Green Children of Woolpit. Her portrayal emphasizes feminine styling and femme fatale traits, with promotional material presenting her as both alluring and eccentric. [40] [41]

Jam Ælfwin is presented as a four-armed drummer [42] referencing the Alcis and broader Proto-Indo-European mythology; the name Ælfwin (“elf-friend”) draws on early English myth and usages in Tolkien's legendarium. [43]

Jingo Scribbins is a purple-skinned piskie-like multi-instrumentalist described in promotional material as “Puck’s daughter,” referencing Puck. [44] Her visual design mixes Victorian fashion with dolly kei elements. [45]

Little Johnny is the lead guitarist with design parallels to the Grey alien and folklore of Little green men. His artwork is labelled 未詳 (“unknown”), reflecting his ambiguous origin. [46] He is depicted as speaking in Early Modern English, with references to the Dodleston messages. [47]

These in-universe personas are used in official artwork and communications as part of the project’s overall presentation. [11] [16]

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Other appearances

A playlist titled Project Atom, featuring demos, previews, and in-development material, has been maintained on the official SoundCloud account of the creator since the band's inception. [55]

Other media

A video game set in the band's fictional universe was announced via Atomic Youth's official website in April 2025, with the release date to be confirmed. [56] [20] [21]

Notes

References

  1. ↑ "アトミック・ユース". Apple Music (in Japanese). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "Атомик Юс". Apple Music (in Russian). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "原子青春". Apple Music (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  4. ↑ "아토믹 유스". Apple Music (in Korean). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 Jenna, Tamara (1 January 2026). "Atomic Youth: Wyrd Metal for the Mathematically Bewildered" . Plectrum. No. 6. London: TJPL News. p. 9. eISSN   3049-8309. ISSN   3049-8295 . Retrieved 10 January 2026– via PressReader.
  6. ↑ "i²". Atomicyouth.org. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  7. ↑ "i²". superspink.org. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "i²". Discogs. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "Q&A". superspink.org. Retrieved 10 January 2026. …working on ATOMIC YOUTH
  10. ↑ "superspink". MusicBrainz. MetaBrainz Foundation. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Jenna, Tamara (1 January 2026). "Atomic Youth: Wyrd Metal for the Mathematically Bewildered" . Plectrum. No. 6. London: TJPL News. p. 9. eISSN   3049-8309. ISSN   3049-8295 . Retrieved 10 January 2026– via PressReader. Formed in 2016, the group's four fictional members — Juice Longshanks (bass), Little Johnny (guitar), Jam Ælfwin (drums), and Jingo Scribbins (flute/synths) — inhabit a multimedia world stitched together from illustrations, hyper-real 3D renders, parody interviews, and metafictional chaos.
  12. ↑ "Atomic Youth – Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)". Indie Dock Music Blog. 22 September 2025. Archived from the original on 22 September 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025. The sprawling multimedia universe—complete with mock interviews... and an upcoming video game—creates a self-contained reality...
  13. ↑ Pinheiro, Diego (9 May 2025). "Sunset Trajectory (East Edition) - Atomic Youth lança vertente de álbum cuja versão original apenas os bruxos lembram" [Sunset Trajectory (East Edition) — Atomic Youth releases a variant of an album whose original version only wizards remember]. Roadie Metal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 September 2025. ...uma versão do Gorillaz mais metalizado. [...] o Atomic Youth alcança esse feito e, de quebra, ainda esbanja autenticidade, originalidade e uma consciência musical tamanha.[...a more metalized version of Gorillaz. [...] Atomic Youth achieves this while also displaying authenticity, originality, and a striking musical self-awareness.]
  14. 1 2 "Atomic Youth Return with the Chaotic Genius of Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)". HAYMAI. 3 October 2025. Archived from the original on 3 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025. Since forming in 2016, they've been pushing the edges of prog, folk, electronic music, and chiptune under the self-described banner of Wyrd Metal.
  15. 1 2 "AYV I-V Sunset Trajectory (album page)". Bandcamp. Bandcamp, Inc. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  16. 1 2 Marinho, Jéssica (12 September 2025). "Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)" [Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)]. Headbangers News (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 12 September 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025. Atomic Youth, uma banda de quatro personagens virtuais da Inglaterra - que logo nos faz imaginar algo como Gorilaz[Atomic Youth, a band of four virtual characters from England - which immediately makes us imagine something like Gorillaz]
  17. ↑ Funk, Jamie (16 September 2025). "Atomic Youth - Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)". Pitch Perfect. Archived from the original on 17 September 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025. Atomic Youth feels a bit like an enigma... Blurring the real and the hyper-real.
  18. ↑ "Interview — Atomic Youth". Lelahel Metal. 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025. Juice: I'm an eternal JPEG with eyeliner. Hot and hyperreal.
  19. ↑ "Interview — Atomic Youth". Lelahel Metal. 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025. Juice: We aren't making the game… We're starring in it.
  20. 1 2 Marinho, Jéssica (12 September 2025). "Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)" [Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)]. Headbangers News (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 12 September 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025. Além do álbum, o projeto planeja um videogame ambientado no universo da banda.[“Beyond the album, the project is planning a video game set in the band’s universe.”]
  21. 1 2 "Atomic Youth On the Making Of 'Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)'". Punk Head. 16 September 2025. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025. JAM: My fav tracks are on the Atomic Youth video game OST, but I'm 'not allowed to talk about that yet'…
  22. ↑ Marinho, Jéssica (12 September 2025). "Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)" [Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)]. Headbangers News (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 12 September 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025. Em termos de sonoridade, a banda entrega uma combinação engenhosa de passagens metalcore, progressivo, rock alternativo e eletrônico, além de influências de trip hop e música ambiente.[“In terms of sound, the band delivers a clever combination of metalcore, progressive, alternative rock and electronic passages, as well as trip-hop and ambient influences.”]
  23. ↑ "UltraRadar. Nueva música para descubrir: Agosto – Diciembre 2025" [UltraRadar — New music to discover: August – December 2025]. Plan Arteria (in Spanish). 2025. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025. «Sampson Was a Shire Horse (Wassail)… mezcla folk rock con matices de post rock y math metal, a lo que suma texturas electrónicas y sonidos de 8 bits.»[…mixes folk rock with shades of post-rock and math metal, adding electronic textures and 8-bit sounds.]
  24. ↑ "Interview — Atomic Youth". Lelahel Metal. 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025. Jam: "Polyrhythmic hobbit maths, chiptune… folk metal, guitar solos & flute-bombs."
  25. ↑ Pinheiro, Diego (9 May 2025). "Sunset Trajectory (East Edition) — Atomic Youth lança vertente de álbum cuja versão original apenas os bruxos lembram" [Sunset Trajectory (East Edition) — Atomic Youth releases a variant of an album whose original version only wizards remember]. Roadie Metal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 August 2025. ...rememorar a arquitetura melódica do metalcore… nos meandros do punk...
  26. ↑ Pinheiro, Diego (9 May 2025). "Sunset Trajectory (East Edition) — Atomic Youth lança vertente de álbum cuja versão original apenas os bruxos lembram". Roadie Metal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 August 2025. ...a obra mergulha de cabeça na estrutura do metal alternativo.
  27. ↑ "Atomic Youth On the Making Of 'Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)'". Punk Head. 16 September 2025. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025. JINGO: And prog riffs are just folk jigs that fell down the stairs.
  28. ↑ Pinheiro, Diego (9 May 2025). "Sunset Trajectory (East Edition) — Atomic Youth lança vertente de álbum cuja versão original apenas os bruxos lembram". Roadie Metal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 August 2025. ...um instrumento que parece ser a balalaika... dá o tom folclórico à canção.
  29. ↑ "Q&A". Atomicyouth.org. Retrieved 10 January 2026. Guitars 7-string: AEADG♭BE; 28" (baritone): AEADG♭B [...] Seven-string models: Prog7 / ZAM7 / KOMPAKT7
  30. ↑ Pinheiro, Diego (9 May 2025). "Sunset Trajectory (East Edition) — Atomic Youth lança vertente de álbum cuja versão original apenas os bruxos lembram". Roadie Metal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 August 2025. Depois que o som típico do scratch... agora, flerta com o chiptune.
  31. ↑ "Atomic Youth - Orz (Progressive Metal)" [Atomic Youth - Orz (Progressive Metal)]. Expansión Radial (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025. Desde el arranque, Orz muestra un sonido impecable… riffs potentes… elementos electrónicos… dinámica impresionante.
  32. ↑ Jenna, Tamara (1 January 2026). "Atomic Youth: Wyrd Metal for the Mathematically Bewildered" . Plectrum. No. 6. London: TJPL News. p. 9. eISSN   3049-8309. ISSN   3049-8295 . Retrieved 10 January 2026– via PressReader. ...hard-hitting prog metal signatures, face-melting guitar runs, math-rock rhythmic puzzles, electronic textures, and the kind of gleefully off-kilter flute lines that could only come from a band that calls its own subgenre Wyrd Metal.
  33. ↑ "Interview - Atomic Youth". Lelahel Metal. 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025. Atomic Youth defy genre with their surreal invention 'Wyrd Metal'—a chaotic blend of badgers, prog, folklore, and cosmic nonsense.
  34. ↑ "Atomic Youth - Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)". Indie Dock Music Blog. 22 September 2025. Archived from the original on 22 September 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025. Their self-proclaimed "Wyrd Metal" draws its power from deliberate wrongness: time signatures that collapse..., folk melodies subjected to progressive metal..., electronic textures...
  35. ↑ Jenna, Tamara (1 January 2026). "Atomic Youth: Wyrd Metal for the Mathematically Bewildered" . Plectrum. No. 6. London: TJPL News. p. 9. eISSN   3049-8309. ISSN   3049-8295 . Retrieved 10 January 2026– via PressReader. Atomic Youth lean into the absurdity with a sincerity that betrays their own satire. [...] Beneath the humour lies a foundation of genuinely formidable musicianship.
  36. ↑ "Interview - Atomic Youth". Mesmerized. Archived from the original on 30 September 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025. What I read about Atomic Youth made me laugh at times; is comedy a feature of the project?
  37. 1 2 "The Atomic Zephyr". Atomicyouth.org. Atomic Youth Official Website. Retrieved 22 August 2025. Better bad news, half-true more-or-less, 100% of the time
  38. ↑ "Atomic Youth Return with the Chaotic Genius of Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)". HAYMAI. 3 October 2025. Archived from the original on 3 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025. …parody press releases, mock interviews, a website that looks hacked, and even an upcoming video game. It's all part of the band's multimedia satire of music culture.
  39. ↑ "Atomic Youth - Juice (Prototype illustration)". Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  40. ↑ "About - Juice". Atomicyouth.org. Atomic Youth Official Website. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  41. ↑ "Atomic Youth - About". Atomicyouth.org (in Japanese). Atomic Youth Official Website. Retrieved 22 August 2025. Bass / ファンサービス
  42. ↑ "Atomic Youth - Jam (Prototype illustration)". Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  43. ↑ "About - Jam". Atomicyouth.org. Atomic Youth Official Website. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  44. ↑ "Atomic Youth – Jingo (Prototype illustration)". Wikimedia Commons (in Japanese). Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 22 August 2025. Caption label includes "パックの娘" ("Puck's daughter").
  45. ↑ "About - Jingo". Atomicyouth.org. Atomic Youth Official Website. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  46. ↑ "Atomic Youth - Johnny (Prototype illustration)". Wikimedia Commons (in Japanese). Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 22 August 2025. Caption label includes "未詳" ("unknown").
  47. ↑ "About - Johnny". Atomicyouth.org. Atomic Youth Official Website. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  48. ↑ "Atomic Youth Return with the Chaotic Genius of Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)". HAYMAI. 3 October 2025. Archived from the original on 3 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025. Originally released as a quietly overlooked EP, Sunset Trajectory has been revived, expanded, and reimagined for this 'East Edition.'
  49. ↑ "Interview — Atomic Youth". Lelahel Metal. 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025. Juice: It's the same album in heels… lovingly localised for eastern markets — bonus tracks, shiny booklet, new hairdo.
  50. ↑ "Sunset Trajectory (East Edition)". Spotify. Spotify AB. 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  51. ↑ "Phantom Future — project listing". Atomicyouth.org. Atomic Youth Official Website. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  52. ↑ "Sampson Was a Shire Horse (single)". Bandcamp. Bandcamp, Inc. November 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  53. ↑ "Bones of Avalon, Vol. I". Spotify. Spotify AB. 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  54. ↑ "Bones of Avalon, Vol. II". Spotify. Spotify AB. 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  55. ↑ "Project Atom (playlist)". SoundCloud. SoundCloud Inc. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  56. ↑ "Atomic Youth Video Game". Atomicyouth.org. Atomic Youth Official Website. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
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