The Haunted Youth is the project of Joachim Liebens from Alken in the Belgian province of Limburg, founded in 2019. The band weaves dreamy guitars and melancholic synths around deeply personal lyrics about mental health and the feeling of not fitting in - drawing on shoegaze, dream pop and nineties indie rock. Debut album 'Dawn of the Freak' (2022) broke them across Europe, and sophomore record 'Boys Cry Too' (May 2026, Play It Again Sam) has cemented their reputation as one of Belgium's most talked-about indie acts.
The second studio album 'Boys Cry Too' was released on May 8, 2026 via Play It Again Sam, with singles such as 'in my head', 'deathwish', 'emo song', 'wake up' and 'murder me'.
The band played four sold-out nights at the Cirque Royal in Brussels as the start of the European album tour.
The band's song 'Last Thing You Need' is featured on the official soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album.
The song 'Teen Rebel' was included in the soundtrack of the American horror film 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'.
The single 'Into You' was voted best song of 2024 by the Belgian magazine Humo.
