Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Pitchfork	(8.4/10)
AbsolutePunk	(88%)
The A.V. Club	(B+)
BBC Music	(favorable)
Consequence of Sound
Under the Radar

The Year of Hibernation is the debut album of American indie rock artist Youth Lagoon, the stage name of musician Trevor Powers. The album was released on September 27, 2011 on the independent record label Fat Possum Records. It peaked at No. 41 on the Independent Albums and No. 8 on the Top Heatseekers charts of Billboard. While no official singles were released, two of the songs were made available on Bandcamp prior to the album's release and two videos were made in support of the album.

The album was written and recorded during a difficult period in the life of Powers, who was receiving counseling for anxiety which was causing him to develop panic attacks and a debilitating fear of death. This anxiety is referenced throughout the album and is a major theme along with fear, interpersonal conflicts, tension and heartache.

To enable him to save up enough money to record the album with local engineer and friend Jeremy Park, he busked with his keyboard late at night in downtown Boise. He also ceased his counseling sessions, which had a negative effect on his relationship with his girlfriend.

The album was recorded at Park's Kung Pow! home studio in Boise during Powers' Christmas break from Boise State University. In an effort to capture a "band" feel, the initial recording sessions were made using Pro Tools, with Powers playing keyboards (including a Yamaha full-size electric piano), operating an Alesis SR16 drum machine and singing, while accompanied by Erik Eastman on a Gibson SG guitar. As the album was recorded in a home studio, various rooms were used to enable certain sounds to be generated. Park's in-laws' large garage and shower room were used as reverb chambers, a bass amp was recorded in a master bedroom closet and the main vocals were recorded in Park's living room to enable different mic distances to be used. The organ sounds in "July" were generated by recording Powers playing from both the kitchen and the living room, which generated a "spacious and ambient sound".

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Wikipedia