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Young Allies Look Back Nearly 1,000 Years on the Quietly Arresting “Watchman”

By Kath Galasso on June 5, 2026

Young Allies have released “Watchman,” the latest single from their forthcoming debut EP Fingers Entwined, arriving July 24. For a new band still defining its public identity, it is a curious and revealing choice: a song adapted from material dating back to 1059, filtered through the sensibility of a modern New York ensemble.

The premise could easily feel academic in less careful hands. A medieval troubadour song from Provence is rich source material, but also the kind of reference point that risks sounding overly studied. Young Allies avoid that trap by treating the old text as a living prompt rather than an object behind glass. “Watchman” does not ask listeners to admire the research. It asks them to sit with a feeling.

That feeling is mostly anticipation. Fritz Michel describes the original story as one centered on the watchman, the sentinel at the end of night, and the longing that surrounds a fleeting private moment before dawn arrives. The band keeps that emotional architecture intact, using the image as a way into something recognizable: the strange ache of knowing a moment is already disappearing while it is still happening.

What makes “Watchman” work is its restraint. Young Allies do not overplay the novelty of the source material, and the track does not arrive dressed in theatrical costume. Instead, the song seems to move in the space between old and current, carried by a collaborative arrangement that feels patient, textured, and gently unsettled.

That collaborative quality has become central to Young Allies’ developing identity. The group is led by Michel on vocals and guitar, with guitarist and co-producer Tosh Sheridan, bassist Gavin Price, drummer Isaac Gardner, keyboardist Phil Kadet, and vocalist Shelly Bhushan. Nearly everyone sings, and the music reflects that shared presence. It sounds less like a solo project with a backing band and closer to a room full of musicians listening closely to one another.

There is also a clear connection between the band’s music and the experimental theater circles several members come from, including their ties to Elevator Repair Service. “Watchman” has a staged quality, though not in a showy sense. It understands atmosphere, entrances, silence, and the usefulness of leaving certain things unresolved.

The single follows the group’s recent LIC Bar residency in Long Island City, where Young Allies developed material in front of live audiences. That context matters. “Watchman” feels like music shaped by repetition, adjustment, and performance rather than studio isolation. Its modesty becomes part of its appeal.

With Fingers Entwined due July 24, “Watchman” gives a useful glimpse of what Young Allies are trying to build. The band is interested in older stories, but the greater draw is how those stories behave once a group of present-day musicians begins passing them around. The result is thoughtful, understated, and promising.