North Shore-based Young Jesus sings in Chicago

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Young Jesus

Young Jesus is not a Christian rock band.

What they are is an indie band made up of New Trier High School graduates John Rossiter (vocals, guitar), Shawn Nystrand (bass), Cody Kellogg (guitar) and Peter Martin (drums) who speak for the kids who aren’t interested in being North Shore darlings. They draw their musical inspiration from The National, Alkaline Trio, Wilco and the Hold Steady. There’s a touch of Arcade Fire in there as well.

They claim to be young and stupid, which explains their band’s name.

“Our bassist Shawn and our guitarist Cody were at a party together, and Shawn had really long hair and a big beard at the time. Someone said to him, ‘Hey, young Jesus, pass me a beer.’ And, Cody said, ‘That would be a funny band name,’” Rossiter said.

Now the band is hoping “Home,” their debut full-length album, which tells the story of a young couple, David and Eloise, who live in the suburbs, gets a lot of attention. They have a show with District Somnium and The Blisters at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 25 at Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave., Chicago.

But, they’re not stupid. Their lyrics are thoughtful and they tell a good story.

Rossiter said David and Eloise are worried about their future and coping with some personal struggles when they meet each other, fall in love, pursue a relationship and watch it fall apart­ — something a lot of people in their 20s (and even some in their 30s and 40s) can relate to.

But, the band is especially appealing to that set from the North Shore since their songs are based in the northern ’burbs and Chicago.

While the band is grateful for the opportunities and the nurturing the North Shore has provided, they find it can be a stifling and stagnant place because expectations don’t change much. Indeed, the popular notion is that children and teens are pushed to ultimately be high earners, such as doctors, lawyers and financial wizards on Wall Street.

For that reason, Rossiter said, “Home” is for the kids who are pursuing more creative endeavors or who’ve dropped out of college because they’re trying to figure out what to do.

“It’s sort of trying to give a voice to those people that aren’t the Ivy Leaguers on the North Shore, who don’t really fit into that exact ideal,” he said.

Rossiter, by the way, is studying English literature at Northwestern University.

Young Jesus tapped into that angst on their 2010 EP, too. But, to avoid making that album a total downer, they recorded a song called “Young Idiots,” part of which tells of the joy of driving south into the city on the Edens with a car full of friends.

Rossiter sings, “Yeah, we speak the language of young idiots/Driving down on 94/Suddenly, irony seems hideous/Feeling stupid feels fine.”

“We had been writing a lot of overly depressing stuff,” Rossiter said, adding the song reflected the life the band was living on the North Shore. “‘Young Idiots’ was like, ‘Yeah, we’re young and we’ll be doing dumb stuff sometimes, but we’ll all have really amazing memories driving down 94 and the excitement of going into the city and being with my friends.’ It’s almost like a love letter to that experience.”

All this isn’t to say that folks from anywhere else won’t get it. There’s plenty of good times, falling in love, heartbreak and struggling with the expectations of others to make their songs universally relevant.

While they say they’re young and inexperienced, they don’t lack ambition. They’re prolific songwriters whose sound needs just a little bit of polishing. Sometimes hints of a pained Will Ferrell eke out when Rossiter’s singing becomes aggressive, but the lyrics keep the listener rooted in the subject matter.

Rossiter said the band would like to make a living playing music. To Young Jesus I say, “God speed.”