The Kids Are Very Much Alright: A Review of Learn to Speak

Boston’s hardest rocking band may also be their youngest. Learn to Speak sells out shows with their powerful songwriting and raw intensity. Featuring Lily Andrey on vocals, Owen Caulfield on guitar, Daniela Minidis on drums, Nathan Tesler on keys, and AJ Rubel on bass, the band is a mix of high school and college students. However, their ability to ignite emotion within the audience makes them indistinguishable from professionals. Andrey’s remarkably versatile voice and highly impressive range enable her to capture a whole spectrum of feelings. Many of the band’s songs will start off with Andrey singing softly and angelically over a fingerpicking guitar, before ultimately building into a gritty explosion of pop-punk electric guitar and bass complemented by searing synths and driving drum fills. Andrey brings her voice to a level near screaming to charge the room with feeling. Throughout the show, her ability to adopt different vocal styles was a powerful tool in changing the mood of the songs, and accordingly, the audience.

Learn to Speak’s songwriting matches their fierce vocal and instrumental style. Songs about friendships turned competitive and soured relationships serve as relatable windows into their experiences. “I quit my cigs for you / you gave me one heart condition / I’m not looking for two,” sings Andrey on “miss whitney.” Despite the scathing nature of this lyric, the band manages to condemn the object of the song with wit and clever wordplay. Further, Andrey is adept at painting a picture for the audience with specific comparisons like, “All my regards to you they fell like the candy wrapper / stuck in the backseat of your dad’s truck.”

Even with their musical talent and numerous professional gigs, the band finds Boston’s opportunities for young bands to be severely lacking. Minidis is firm in her belief that “We need more outlets for people in the Greater Boston Area to be able to see youth shows and feel comfortable in the space.” Venues like the Burren host many young artists, but other opportunities, such as playing in someone’s basement, are far less accessible, less appealing, and, most importantly, less safe. 

While being a young artist presents its challenges, Learn to Speak’s age is central to their identity. Musically, they embody teenage angst, but more broadly, they are inspirational. They are living proof that young people can play original music professionally, and this is not lost on their audience. Minidis’ favorite part about playing music is being able to serve as a role model for aspiring drummers. “If you show that you’re really one with your band, and you’ve grown together as a community of artists to inspire people to continue with their art — I think that definitely underscores the whole idea of why we play music,” she explains. There’s nothing she loves more than having a young girl come up to her after a show and tell her that her playing makes her want to pick up an instrument, too. 

The secret to the band’s ability to inspire young musicians and move audiences of all ages lies in their deep connection to one another. “When you find those people who really speak to you and know your musical language well, as well as just who you are as a person, you feel so free as an artist to fully express yourself,” Minidis told us. Learn to Speak is many things: entertaining, energizing, and inspiring, to name a few. Most of all, though, they are a testament to the importance of finding a passion and people to share it with.

The Burren, 5/25/24