Upon a single listen of the Canadian dream-pop band Young Galaxy's single, Pretty Boy, I was mesmerized. Futuristic and dreamy, a driving beat, and with a distinct flair of pop, it was as if the song was straight out of one of your favorite quality 80's teen flicks! (Awesome.)
The song, which appears as the first track on the Canadian band's second album, Ultramarine, is one of the many electro-gems that will have you feeling good, happily satiated, and get through any day with a flair! Needless to say, I am now hooked.
When first found the track back in March, I reached out to the band to ask them a few questions about their life, musings, and of course, their incredible album! Here's what they had to say:
MF
How and when did you start writing music?
STEPHEN
As a way of combating big changes in her life, my Uncle, in 1998, gave a computer to my Grandmother. She just
flat out rejected it's presence! So since I was [at that time] starting University, my Uncle then
gave it to me instead... one of those weird plastic bubble iMacs.
Anyway, I remember purchasing the music making software Logic... and suddenly my life was
transformed. I went from making weird little acoustic 4-track
recordings to these full fledged productions. It was an amazing feeling-- I felt like I was able to
face the imaginary symphonies I had floating around in my head... I
could program drums, synths, strings, bass... everything! Suddenly I found
myself writing and recording fully formed songs. It only dawned on me
recently that I have technology to thank for my music career.
MF
Where are you from? How has this impacted your music?
STEPHEN
STEPHEN
I'm from Nanaimo, British Columbia-- a little mill town
on Vancouver Island, on the West coast of Canada. It made a huge
impression on my music. Most of the people I grew up with listened to
AC/DC and Metallica-- things like that. From an early age, I listened to
a lot of weirder stuff, and I would say I was probably one of three
people in town who knew what hip-hop was in 1987!
As a result, there was the sense of being on the edge of things, in both good and bad ways. I felt a little like a target for liking The Smiths and Public Enemy in the face of all these metalheads, but it also gave me a sense of singular identity and taught me about the universal power of music.
It rains a lot where I'm from, and there isn't much opportunity... so a band like The Smiths hit home so hard. It taught me that that connection is the only thing that matters with music.
My sense of ambition as a musician was galvanized by those formative listening years. I wanted to also make music that could mean so much to someone on the other side of the world-- the way The Smiths had for me. And on the other side of the coin, there was hip-hop, which was so punk rock in the early days.
The Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys didn't scare my parents, but Public Enemy sure did... This was all pre-internet, of course-- so all that isolation let me discover alien cultures and feel like they belonged to me. I feel sorry for kids growing up nowadays. I mean, how do you use pop culture to create an identity anymore when counter-culture is subsumed almost instantly by the internet and the mainstream?
As a result, there was the sense of being on the edge of things, in both good and bad ways. I felt a little like a target for liking The Smiths and Public Enemy in the face of all these metalheads, but it also gave me a sense of singular identity and taught me about the universal power of music.
It rains a lot where I'm from, and there isn't much opportunity... so a band like The Smiths hit home so hard. It taught me that that connection is the only thing that matters with music.
My sense of ambition as a musician was galvanized by those formative listening years. I wanted to also make music that could mean so much to someone on the other side of the world-- the way The Smiths had for me. And on the other side of the coin, there was hip-hop, which was so punk rock in the early days.
The Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys didn't scare my parents, but Public Enemy sure did... This was all pre-internet, of course-- so all that isolation let me discover alien cultures and feel like they belonged to me. I feel sorry for kids growing up nowadays. I mean, how do you use pop culture to create an identity anymore when counter-culture is subsumed almost instantly by the internet and the mainstream?
MF
Interesting-- so in a world where counter-culture becomes mainstream so fast, what advice might he have for young artists?
STEPHEN
Being a musician is a process--
so don't believe anyone who tells you that you need to have an 'angle' all
figured out before you put yourself out there to get signed or recognized. It takes time for most
people to understand themselves as artists, so if you are compelled to
keep creating-- regardless of accolades or money-- stick with it, because
you're most likely on to something. Trust your gut: be willing to say NO
to everything. If you don't, you'll regret it later. Imagine a career
that reflects your values and is conducted with dignity, and adhere to
it. The music industry likes to make artists feel like they should be
grateful just to be there. YOU are the reason they exist, so don't let
them force you to pander to an audience. Also, professional jealousy is a
great motivator. Don't feel bad if you envy someone else's career. Work
hard to make one in your own image, and make it better than theirs.
They had to start somewhere too.
MF
So what you think is music's (or even art in general) ultimate goal? What role do you think it serves in the world at this point in time?
STEPHEN
It
really depends on who's making it I think. A lot of art is just made to
make money, and I suppose that's been true for a very long time. However,
I primarily view it as a form of communication, a way of baring
yourself to the world in impressionistic terms. Personally, music was my
best friend throughout my angst-ridden teen years-- I saw my favourite
bands as guides in life at a time when I didn't want to listen to my
parents and didn't relate to my peers. Morrissey was my best friend in
high-school, I'm not even exaggerating. I felt like he was articulating
my internal life in his songs, and from then on I knew just how
important music could be. Indie music and hip-hop gave me an identity at
a very fragile stage of my life, and in a roundabout way introduced me
to a counter-cultural perspective that I still adhere to. I still make
music based on that feeling I had when I was 16 and in need of rescue.
There's nothing better than hearing how your own songs are doing the
same thing for people that your favourite music did for you.
MF
Can you talk a little about your songwriting process? Do you write the lyrics before or after you write the music?
CATHERINE
CATHERINE
Usually music first - Stephen comes up with most of
the music in demo or sketch form, and then we riff on the skeleton of
what is there. On Ultramarine, we decided to change our approach a bit
and tried to avoid lyrics that tried to say everything we meant. We did
some automatic writing, where one of us would mumble into the mic and
the other would interpret the sounds as words. We loved that approach,
the results were both unexpected and beautiful to us.
MF
How did the song "Pretty Boy" come to be? Was there any driving inspiration behind it?
CATHERINE
CATHERINE
It is based on Patti Smith's autobiography, Just
Kids. Stephen and I both finished that book and stayed under it's spell
for a long time - it's both a simple, beautiful love story and an
unapologetic, unflinching account of the artistic temperament. Patti
Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe were misfits who felt they had a calling,
and lived through incredible destitution and rejection to pursue their
dreams. It really resonated for us - we related to their frame of minds,
their struggle, and the fact that they traveled to a strange place to
become artists. They were seekers. The spirit of that book resonates
throughout Ultramarine.
MF
Three albums that impacted your life:
BOTH
BOTH
Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush The Show
The Stone Roses debut
Studio - Yearbook One compilation
MF
Style/Fashion inspiration? Designers?
CATHERINE
CATHERINE
We love the more Scandinavian structured look - in
our down time we both like anoraks, classic, worn jeans and hi-end
trainers. Creatively, I look to people like Karin Dreijer-Andersson,
Planningtorock and Tilda Swinton - who aren't afraid to be both daring
and act their age with their style choices. They are like living
installation pieces when they want to be, without being kitschy.
I had a designer from Berlin do a few pieces for stage for me,
Andreea Vrajitoru who has a label called Adddress. She's amazing. I
admire designers like Christopher Kane, Yohji Yamamoto, Alexander
McQueen and Vivienne Westwood too.
STEPHEN
I'm all about my Whyred green anorak, oversize t-shirts or
sweaters, worn A.P.C. jeans altered to have relaxed fit up top, tight
taper at the bottom, Common Projects, Nike Flyknits or Chukka Vans on my
feet.
MF
Favorite spots?
STEPHEN
Favorite spots?
STEPHEN
The Crow And Gate Pub, Nanaimo, B.C. Canada
Sproat Lake, B.C. Canada
Cafe De Dokter, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Angel's Share, NYC
Gothenburg, Sweden
Montreal, Canada
Iceland
NYC
The Ocean, ANYWHERE
MF
Eight songs you couldn't live without?
BOTH
BOTH
Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah
Talking Heads - This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Portishead - Chase The Tear
The Knife - The Height Of Summer
The Stone Roses - Fool's Gold
The Smiths - This Charming Man
David Bowie - Heroes
Rufus Wainwright - Poses
MF
Your life philosophy?
CATHERINE
If you're chasing it, it's running away.
