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)
Out the Gate Backwards
Young Galaxy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out the gate backwards, no man's land
I wanna know where I'll go when I have no plan
Out the gate backwards, no man's land
Outside I am diamond
Inside I am plain
Inside getting harder
I wanna see who I'll be when I step out of line
Silent my footsteps, out of my mind
I wanna see who I'll be when I step out of line
Silent my footsteps, out of my mind
Outside I am diamond
Inside I am plain
Inside getting harder
Outside washed away
In "Out the Gate Backwards" by Young Galaxy, the lyrics explore the uncertainty and confusion that can come with facing the unknown. The singer expresses a desire to understand where they are headed despite having no plan, using the metaphor of being out the gate backwards in no man's land. This imagery suggests that the singer is lost and without direction. They want to know who they will become and what their future holds when they step off the expected path, represented by stepping out of line. However, there is a sense of isolation and solitude associated with this journey, as the singer emphasizes the silence of their footsteps and their own disorientation.
The lyrics' choice of metaphor and imagery creates a sense of melancholy, uncertainty and a loss of identity. The use of contrast in the verse, "Outside I am diamond, Inside I am plain," highlights the feeling of a disconnect between the outward projection of confidence and the internal insecurities. The lyrics in "Out the Gate Backwards" are deep and thought-provoking, evoking feelings of loneliness and solitude in the search for one's true identity.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna know where I'll go when I have no plan
I am unsure of my destination when I don't have a plan.
Out the gate backwards, no man's land
I feel directionless and lost, not knowing which way is forward.
Outside I am diamond
Externally, I appear strong and unbreakable like a diamond.
Inside I am plain
Internally, I am simple and unremarkable.
Inside getting harder
My inner self is toughening up as I face challenges.
Outside washed away
My outer self is breaking down or losing its luster.
I wanna see who I'll be when I step out of line
I am curious about my true self if I go against expectations or norms.
Silent my footsteps, out of my mind
I move quietly and without hesitation in unknown territory, but also feel a sense of detachment from rational thought.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Catherine Anne McCandless, Stephen Ramsay, Dan Anders Lissvik
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aleksandar Ruseski
Young Galaxy duuuuuuuuuuude so good I wish I could somehow implant my love for this band to other people so they know the truth too and enjoy the band. Yup.
Raphael Miranda
Dat bass