YOUNG GALAXY – Ultramarine
01. Pretty Boy
02. Fall For You
03. New Summer
04. Fever
05. Hard To Tell
06. What We Want
07. Out The Gate Backwards
08. In Fire
09. Privileged Poor
10. Sleepwalk With Me
Sometimes a change of the natural environment holds some new perspectives and ideas, especially for musicians. Canadian indie-pop band YOUNG GALAXY was in the mood for a change when it came to record their fourth full-length album. So, they went all the way from Vancouver to Gothenburg. The move to Sweden not only gave the five-piece some inspiration but saw them working with producer Dan Lissvik in his little studio. “In being away from home we felt like we could risk more,” says lead singer Catherine McCandless, “Take bigger chances. Things we didn’t think would work, we tried anyway.” Creative freedom is a big aspect of the new record Ultramarine, out via Paper Bag Records on April the 23rd.
Ultramarine, a strong form of blue – very intense. You can transfer this to YOUNG GALAXY‘s new record if you want. It’s pretty much ‘on point’, very compact and defined but on the other side quite easy floating. Very natural. It’s wave pop with a certain dark and melancholic undertone. A feeling that also works quite liberating in certain aspects. An uplifting start with Pretty Boy is followed by the dreamy tropical Fall For You, other tunes like Fever got an undeniable catchy hit aspect. Especially when they got the right groove like the disco moment Privileged Poor. The melancholic aspect comes due to the wonderful voice of McCandless which always holds a certain fragility, especially in combination with her lyrics. When she sings “The end will come for holidays and sweet sixteen” in New Summer, there is an undeniable mixture of melancholia and nostalgia in here.
All in all, YOUNG GALAXY seem to know a thing or two on how to produce an entertaining and intelligent pop album. Danceable tunes team up with dreamy ones like Out The Gate Backwards, light shares a common space with darkness. The band seems to understand that there is never just one side of the medal, it seems. “Here comes the sunrise” sings McCandless in the romantic closing track Sleepwalk With Me. And within the sunrise there is hope for something new. YOUNG GALAXY were brave enough to realize this. They went to Sweden to find a new sound and they came back with a joyful little longplayer which all fans of catchy indie-pop should not miss.
Stream the entite album now over at Pitchfork Advance.
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