Young Galaxy formed in Vancouver, Canada, as duo including Stephen Ramsay and Catherine McCandless. Through that summer of 2005 and the spring of 2006 they recorded with appearances and contributions of friends at Jace Lasek’s Breakglass Studio. Their sound has been described as similar to the bands Slowdive, Galaxie 500 and Luna as well as Pink Floyd and Spiritualized. The band has toured in Canada, The United States and Europe, opening for Arcade Fire, The Album Leaf, The Frames, Peter, Bjorn and John, Stars and Death Cab For Cutie. They later moved to Montreal, where they recorded their self-titled debut. The album was released on April 24, 2007.
They recorded their second album Invisible Republic in Montreal at Hotel2Tango studio with Radwan Moumneh engineering (A Silver Mt. Zion, Pas Chic Chic) and at Breakglass Studios with Jace Lasek of The Besnard Lakes engineering. Invisible Republic was released independently on August 25, 2009 through Fontana North. It was mixed by Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol) in Glasgow, Scotland. It was subsequently released in July 2010 in the U.S.A. by Paper Bag Records, and received a long list nomination for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize.
The band followed up in fall 2010 with YG No Art EP, an EP comprising unreleased tracks and remixes from the Invisible Republic sessions.
Their third album, Shapeshifting, was recorded in Montreal, Canada, and was produced by Dan Lissvik of the band Studio in Gothenburg, Sweden. The band communicated with Lissvik via Skype over the nine months he spent mixing the recorded vocals.
The album, released in February 2011 on Paper Bag Records, has been described as a massive change in creative direction, eschewing their former shoegaze, dream-pop style for a more electronic pop sound. Stephen Ramsay describes the change in song composition method, "instead of picking up a guitar and finding the most brilliant melody we could, we tried to erase the shape of the songs."
Discography:
Swing Your Heartache (2006, EP)
Young Galaxy (2007)
Invisible Republic (2009)
YG No Art EP (2010)
Shapeshifting (2011)
Ultramarine (2013)
Destroyer
Young Galaxy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No trace of the mess you made
Your little smile, shelves made of ice
Your little show, handcuffs made of snow
Those eyes, pure destroyer
Sunshine, frozen water
Burning up solar flare
Your scars are rearranged
Your body it feels no blame
Your little voice I never had a choice
Your little show, traps laid in the snow
Those eyes, pure destroyer
Sunshine, frozen water
Those eyes, could despair
Burning up solar flare
Something I can't taste
It feels too good to waste
It comes over me when least expected
To harness the ache
Her elemental quake
It's worth living for when it's directed
Those eyes, pure destroyer
Sunshine, frozen water
Those eyes, could despair
Burning up solar flare
In the song "Destroyer" by Young Galaxy, the lyrics tell a story of a person who has caused a lot of destruction and left a trail of mess behind. The person's heart is empty, as if it's in a wasteland, and there's no trace of their actions. Despite the chaos they've caused, the person has a little smile and puts on a show, as if nothing is wrong. However, their eyes give away their true nature as a destroyer, with a gaze that could cause despair or ignite a solar flare.
The lyrics highlight the detachment and lack of remorse of the destroyer, whose scars are rearranged and body feels no blame. The person's voice leaves no choice, as they lay traps in the snow for others. The lyrics suggest that there is something about the destroyer that's alluring, yet dangerous. The singer of the song acknowledges this allure, describing it as a feeling that "comes over me when least expected," and something that's "worth living for when it's directed."
Overall, "Destroyer" is a hauntingly beautiful song that captures the complexity of human emotions and the effects of destructive behavior. The lyrics are sharp and evocative, painting a vivid picture of a person who is both captivating and dangerous.
Line by Line Meaning
Your heart is in the waste
Your heart is discarded, in the garbage.
No trace of the mess you made
You've erased all evidence of the destruction you caused.
Your little smile, shelves made of ice
Your smile appears harmless, but it's as fragile as ice.
Your little show, handcuffs made of snow
Your performance is deceptive and will easily melt away.
Those eyes, pure destroyer
Your eyes have the power to ruin everything they touch.
Sunshine, frozen water
You bring light like sunshine, but it's as cold and icy as water.
Those eyes, could despair
Your eyes are capable of causing great sadness and hopelessness.
Burning up solar flare
Your intense energy is like an exploding sun.
Your scars are rearranged
Your wounds have healed, but they have left you completely changed.
Your body it feels no blame
You feel no guilt for the damage you've done to yourself or others.
Your little voice I never had a choice
Your words have power over me, even when I am powerless to resist them.
Your little show, traps laid in the snow
Your performance is a trap waiting to ensnare the unsuspecting.
Something I can't taste
There's something I can't quite grasp or understand about this situation.
It feels too good to waste
This experience is too valuable to let go to waste.
It comes over me when least expected
This feeling arrives suddenly and without warning.
To harness the ache
To use the pain as fuel for growth and change.
Her elemental quake
Her raw, powerful energy is like an earthquake that shakes everything around her.
It's worth living for when it's directed
Even though the feeling may be intense and overwhelming, it's worth enduring when it's focused and meaningful.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Catherine Anne McCandless, Stephen Ramsay
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind