The Positions

The Positions is the debut studio album by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, released on 17 April 2015. The album debuted at number five on the ARIA Albums Chart and was preceded by three singles including "Magnolia", which has been described as the band's "breakthrough hit". Upon release of the album, frontman David Le'aupepe said "I was in a four-year relationship with a girl who had a terminal illness and then I made a concept album about it with my friends."

The album debuted was nominated for multiple ARIA Awards including Breakthrough Artist, Best Rock Album and Best Cover Art. At the J Awards of 2015, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.

In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked The Positions at number 89 in their list of the 200 greatest Australian albums of all time.

Production and recording
The Positions was recorded over three years, and its sound, according to frontman David Le'aupepe, reflects the struggles he went through in that time: "I went through a marriage breakdown, a suicide attempt, drug problem, and everything during the middle of it so the record reflect a lot of that." He continued: "There’s grime where there should be grime, there’s perfection where there should be perfection."

The release of The Positions had seen persistent delays, with Le'aupepe admitting pre-release: "Every single fucking time we’re putting the final touches on the record we just veer away from it". In an interview with Life Without Andy, the frontman said "other than ‘Kansas’ virtually every song on the recording was a holy pain in the ass to finish". He specifically pointed to "Radioface" and "The Overpass" as tracks that had to constantly be re-recorded. "The Diving Bell" had been initially scrapped in 2013.

With a "sprawling and expansive" production, the average track length on The Positions is six minutes.

Release
Gang of Youths released the lead single "Poison Drum" on 1 May 2014. It was supported by a music video and two headline shows. On 19 March 2015, "Radioface" followed, with the announcement that their debut studio album, The Positions, would release on 17 April. The band released a video for the third single, "Magnolia", on 13 August 2015.

Critical reception
Rod Yates of Rolling Stone Australia said the "record so emotionally bruised and honest that it at times feels like you're listening in on a conversation between frontman Dave Le'aupepe and the girl in question," adding "the album oscillates between Kings of Leon style grandeur, Bruce Springsteen-esque storytelling and sounding like it could fall apart at any second – which, emotionally, is fitting."

Roshan Clerke of The Music praised the album's "concrete vision" and said "Leaupepe writes some of the most empowering sentiments to be found in modern rock music." Writing for Renowned for Sound, Joseph Earp concluded "as a towering homage to the inner life of the teenage, The Positions is a triumph", and an "exceptionally assured release from a band destined for some very good things."

Track listing
All tracks are written by David Le'aupepe.

Standard edition


 * 1) "Vital Signs" – 7:23
 * 2) "Poison Drum" – 6:26
 * 3) "The Diving Bell" – 4:53
 * 4) "Restraint & Release" – 4:41
 * 5) "Magnolia" – 5:11
 * 6) "Kansas" – 4:08
 * 7) "Knuckles White Dry" – 6:10
 * 8) "Radioface" – 6:52
 * 9) "Sjamboksa"  – 7:12
 * 10) "The Overpass" – 7:29

'Bonus disc - Juices..... B-sides & Demos'


 * 1) "Strange Diseases" (Early Demo) – 7:23
 * 2) "Evangelists" – 6:26
 * 3) "A Sudden Light" (Early Demo) – 4:53
 * 4) "Benevolence Riots" – 4:41
 * 5) "Lover In My Lungs" – 5:11

Personnel
Adapted from the album's liner notes.

Musicians
Gang of Youths
 * David Le'aupepe – writing, vocals (all tracks), guitar (1–5, 8–10), percussion (3), keyboard (3–6), piano (5, 7), strings (5–6)
 * Sam O'Donnell – drums (2, 8, 9), percussion (3), vocals (3)
 * Jung Kim – guitar (1–4, 8–10), keyboard (1, 3–5, 8), percussion (3), vocals (3), strings (4)
 * Max Dunn – bass guitar (1–5, 8–10), percussion (3), vocals (3), strings (4)
 * Donnie Borzestowski – drums (4, 10)
 * Joji Malani – guitar (1–5, 8–10) keyboard (4, 5), percussion (3), vocals (3), strings (4–5)

Other musicians
 * Jane Scarpantoni – strings, cello (1, 7)
 * James Felice – piano (1)
 * Kevin McMahon – guitar (1, 7), percussion (2, 7), keyboard (7)
 * Stella McMahon – percussion (2)
 * Chris Collins – percussion (3)
 * Joel van Gastel – drums (3, 5)
 * Jamal Ruhe – guitar (7)
 * Edward M. Mackenzie – spoken vocals (8)
 * Benjamin Reisemann-Jeffrey – horns (8)

Technical

 * Greg Calbi – mastering (1–10)
 * Kevin McMahon – producing (1–2, 7), engineering (1–2, 8, 10), mixing (7)
 * Peter Holz – engineering (1, 4–5, 8–10)
 * Adrian Breakspear – engineering (1, 8–10)
 * Christina Thiers – engineering (1, 4, 8–10)
 * Peter Katis – mixing (1–2, 6, 8–9)
 * Chris Collins – producing, engineering (3), mixing (3–4)
 * Gang of Youths – producing (3–6, 8–10)
 * Donnie Borzestowski – engineering (4, 10)
 * Jung Kim – engineering (4–5, 10)
 * David Le'aupepe – engineering (5–6)
 * Joji Malani – engineering (5)
 * Nora Wever – engineering (5)
 * Karl Cashwell – engineering (5), mixing (5, 10)
 * David J. Andrew – engineering (6)

Artwork

 * Rachela Nardella – photography
 * Callum van de Mortel – photography
 * Nathan Johnson – artwork design