Cole’s Indie Music Corner: Young Galaxy

Vanessa and I have pretty different music tastes, as do our podcast guests, so we don’t usually get to talk music as much as I’d like to. I worked as a manager at Second Spin for several years (until it got bought by a giant “music” conglomerate who is more interested in selling Twilight lip gloss than turning people onto great records), so it’s always been close to my heart. So I bring you “Cole’s Indie Music Corner,” where each week I’ll write up what I’m currently listening to and post a streamable track. We start with a band from Vancouver, B.C….

Young Galaxy just released their third LP, entitled “Shapeshifting.” It’s a marked departure for the band, turning in their guitars for a more electronic feel. Originally just a duo, the band has filled out to six members and created a hypnotic, layered sound. Melding their pop sensibilities with some seductive minor chords, they’ve created an album that’s both catchy and loungy (but not in the Vegas kind of way–the kind of music you can listen to late at night, with a glass of wine, or whatever your poison is). The vocals are split between co-founders Stephen Ramsay and Catherine McCandless, the latter’s soothing pipes particularly suited for the new direction the band has gone in. There’s a distinct Euro feel to the proceedings, recalling bands like The Knife, Bang Gang and Alpha. “We Have Everything” is a stand-out track, a mid-tempo burner that is indicative of the leisurely pace of the album—the opening lyrics some it up: Oh spare me today / I’ve had enough of the hurry hurry / Just let the day rise easy / And take over.

YOUNG GALAXY / “WE HAVE EVERYTHING”

Check out their website HERE