“I’m just a big music fan,” admits Stephen Ramsey, one half of Montreal duo Young Galaxy. A late developer in songwriting terms (picking up the guitar in his early twenties), Stephen says it took time for a musical career to become reality; “I always assumed I’d have a group of friends to write songs, a gang to form a band with. I had people that talked, but never went through with it.” A couple of years ago he became a touring guitarist for Canadian super group Stars. “Stars definitely opened the door for me. At first I felt a bit of an impostor, but it was a fast track to Young Galaxy.”
Just being a label is hard to pull off now
In between breaks on Stars tours, Stephen worked on songs with his other half (personally and musically) Catherine McCandless at Jace Lasek’s (Besnard Lakes) Montreal studio. Released through super indie Arts & Crafts (home to Feist, The Dears, and set up by Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew) Young Galaxy’s self-titled debut is a rich, heart-warming LP perfect for winter sulking. Debut single and album opener ‘Swing Your Heartache’ is a 4am Spiritualized come down, full of sparkling melodies, broody verses and an uplifting outro. The album is a collision of Stephen and Catherine’s rural, earthy beginnings in Vancouver and their present home, the city bustle of Montreal.
With label bank balances at their most precarious, Arts & Crafts’ artistic model of development is applauded by their latest protégés. “They always encouraged us and never interfered with the record. They were hands off in a way. At the moment there’s a legitimate need for labels to manage and nurture their acts. Just being a label is hard to pull off now.”
Live, Young Galaxy seek a connection and directness with their audience, and despite picking up the shoe-gaze tag “aren’t the types to hide behind our sound, we want to create an experience,” says Stephen. “Our songs are born out of a love of music,” he beams at the end of our transatlantic chat. Love music? Then you’ll love Young Galaxy.
