Rooted in the Canberra indie rock scene, the group was formed in 1996 by Narrabundah College school friends Paul Murphy, Toby Martin and Andy Cassell. The fourth founding member, Danny Lee Allen, never lived in Canberra, instead growing up in Maroubra and then Coogee in Sydney, meeting Paul through attending Marcellin College in Randwick. Andy Cassell was one of three partners in the Ivy League / Winterman & Goldstein group of companies. Of the original members, only Martin and Allen remained. The band's first show was in November 1997 at the Warren View Hotel in the inner Sydney suburb of Enmore. At this stage, Allen had played drums for approximately two months. Their first album, Urban and Eastern, was released in 2000.
In 2003, the band played at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas and performed on 4 dates with The Vines and The Music on a US West Coast tour.After various configurations, including the temporary membership of John Lattin of La Huva, the lineup was finalised in 2004 through the addition of Cameron Emerson-Elliott on guitar (previously a member of The John Reed Club) and Patrick Matthews on bass (formerly of The Vines). A series of chance happenings lead Epitaph Records boss Brett Gurewitz to hear their second album, Skeleton Jar, in 2004 and release it in the U.S. in 2005. The band supported Death Cab for Cutie in 2005 on a coast to coast US tour.
Their single "Forever Young", a cover of the 1984 song by Alphaville, was used in the television show The O.C. and heavily featured in promos for Australian TV station Channel Ten at the beginning of 2006. The song debuted on the Australian charts at No. 2 in March 2006, and eventually peaked at No. 1. It was also No. 1 in the first ever digital download chart. During 2006, they supported Coldplay in their sold-out tour of Australia. They also won an ARIA for Breakthrough Single.
In July 2006, the band released their third album, Casino Twilight Dogs, which featured "Forever Young", along with the album's second single, "Catching & Killing". On 24 July 2006, Casino Twilight Dogs debuted at #10 in the ARIA Album Charts. The album was produced by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla.
They supported Kings Of Leon and Interpol on their 2008 tours of Australia.
They released their fourth album, The Night Is Ours, in July 2008 through Ivy League in Australia and in April 2009 on Worlds Fair Records in the US. The song "What is A Life" from The Night Is Ours was featured on The CW show Gossip Girl episode "The Bonfire of the Vanity".
Youth Group toured the US twice in 2009, as well as once again opening for Death Cab for Cutie in Australia, before moving into a hiatus. Though the band are still on good terms, they are focusing on other projects. Martin released a solo album, Love's Shadow, in July 2012 on Ivy League Records. Allen currently lives in New York and tours with We Are Scientists and plays with Brooklyn band, The Drums. Elliott and Matthews are both currently members of Sydney-based indie rock band Community Radio. Matthews also spent time in The Jewel and the Falcon.
The band reunited to play shows in 2015.
Appliance Compliance
Youth Group Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Solidarity's cowed.
The panic bursts in bubbles above the heads of the crowd that are bowed.
The train into the station it ballooned.
Chris De Burgh he crooned.
The people flock to open doors like flies to an open wound.
To escape their moods and fashions.
(Appliance. Compliance.)
One day he'll be more green,
Won't drink from polystyrene.
(Appliance. Compliance.)
She will leave soon it
All depends on when she's paid off her unit
But she'll never be further from her death than she is now.
She's going to move to Athens
To escape their moods and fashions.
(Appliance. Compliance.)
One day she just won't care,
She will smoke anywhere.
(Appliance. Compliance)
Gonna move to Athens,
Move to Athens.
Polystyrene.
Polystyrene
The song "Appliance Compliance" by Youth Group is a reflection on the suffocation and conformity of modern society. The opening lines set the scene for the theme of isolation, highlighting that even in the company of others, we can feel alone. The panic that bursts in bubbles above the bowed heads of the crowd speaks to the anxiety and pressure that we feel to conform.
The lyrics then delve into the idea that people are drawn to the latest trends and fashions like flies to an open wound. The reference to Chris De Burgh's crooning song on the train highlights the way in which popular culture and media can also contribute to this conformity, as people flock to the latest thing to feel like they belong. The repetition of the phrase "Appliance Compliance" suggests that this conformity is enforced, possibly by advertising and marketing.
The final verses indicate a desire to break free from this suffocation and conformity by moving to Athens, where the singer feels they can escape the expectations and pressures that society places on them. The reference to drinking from polystyrene and smoking anywhere suggests that this freedom involves not being enslaved by material possessions and societal constructs. Ultimately, the song provides a bleak but realistic commentary on the limitations of individual freedom in a modern capitalist society.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no comfort in a crowd.
The crowd is intimidated and subdued instead of gaining strength from solidarity.
The panic bursts in bubbles above the heads of the crowd that are bowed.
The fear and anxiety of the crowd is palpable and literally visible like bubbles.
The train into the station it ballooned.
The train is overcrowded and swollen.
The people flock to open doors like flies to an open wound.
The crowd blindly rushes for the exits like insects going towards decaying matter.
He's going to move to Athens.
He plans to leave the current place to escape and find peace.
To escape their moods and fashions.
To avoid conforming to other's behavior and trends.
(Appliance. Compliance.)
The phrase highlights the song's overarching theme of mindlessly following trends and conformity.
One day he'll be more green,
He hopes to reduce his carbon footprint in the future.
Won't drink from polystyrene.
He will try not to use single-use plastics like polystyrene.
She will leave soon it.
She will depart soon because of monetary reasons.
All depends on when she's paid off her unit.
When she finishes paying off her financial obligations, she will leave.
But she'll never be further from her death than she is now.
Despite the hope of leaving, she acknowledges that the inevitability of death is as close as it has ever been.
One day she just won't care,
She will become apathetic in the future
She will smoke anywhere.
She will disregard smoking laws.
Gonna move to Athens,
The repeated use of the phrase emphasizes the desire to start fresh in a new location.
Polystyrene.
The word is used as an ironic and symbolic representation of the theme of environmental consciousness.
Contributed by Luke A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.