Young the Giant gets deep with American Bollywood

“American Bollywood” is easily the most ambitious project in Young the Giant’s five-album canon. On the surface it’s an immigrant’s album but it goes much deeper.

The album is about identity and connection – and it’s the Southern California band’s most personal album to date.

Singer-songwriter Sameer Gadhia explored the immigrant experience throughout 2016’s “Home of the Strange” but takes it a step further as a first generation American with the latest from the alt-rock band.

“We went deeper with this album,” Gadhia said while calling from Dallas. “I wrote about being an immigrant but I took this further. I write about the search for belonging, which is what everyone yearns for. I touch on how much immigrants have had to travel and sacrifice but I wanted to zoom out so people that are first or fifteenth generation could relate to “American Bollywood.”

Gadhia, 34, is uncertain if the album would have happened if it weren’t for the pandemic. “The forced sabbatical gave me the time to sit and think and write that I normally don’t have,” Gadhia said. “Bands have to go out on the road 150-200 days a year in order to make a living. But I had the chance to sit down and think and it really helped.”

Gadhia’s parents left India for Michigan in 1984. Gadhia was born in 1989 and embraced music at an early age. As a teenager inspired by the uncompromising Radiohead, Gadhia focused on music.

“I grew up with parents who always played the Beatles, the Doors and Pink Floyd,” Gadhia said. “Music was all around me. My grandmother and mother were singers. I always loved music.”

Gadhia majored in human biology at Stanford but left school in 2009 to focus on music.

Young the Giant, which also includes guitarist Jacob Tilley, guitarist-keyboardist Eric Cannata, bassist Payam Doostzadeh and drummer Francois Comtois, released its eponymous debut in 2010.

“I took the path that I’m most passionate about,” Gadhia said. “I can always go back to school. I made the correct decision.”

Young the Giant, which will perform Tuesday at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino, has a loyal fan base that seems to appreciate the depth of Gadhia’s lyrics.

“The feedback I’ve received from our fans has been great,” Gadhia said. “They’re really into the words. That’s a cool thing. I believe the best songwriting is not about thinking. It’s about a feeling. I feel like the best lyrics that I write just flow out of me.”

Gadhia explains that was how Young the Giant’s biggest hit, the anthemic “My Body” was crafted. “That song was about trusting what I was feeling,” Gadhia said. “I didn’t overthink it.”

Perhaps Gadhia will be inspired when he returns to Spokane since he enjoys the outdoor experience.

“I love exploring the nature in Spokane,” Gadhia said. “I go out on bike rides and walk around. I get pretty meditative there. I must go off and do my own thing before we perform. Maybe I’ll have an idea for a song. Who knows? Once we get into town and I explore I feel good and it’s always a good show there. The fans are always up for what we do and I always feel so comfortable in Spokane.”