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.
Happiness' Border
Youth Group Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even though he hadn't seen her
For two months or three,
And there over silver cutlery and bedding
She told him that she'd never felt so happy.
He lived his life out of order,
Stopped at happiness' border.
But he'll never know how
To make her so happy when there's a crowd.
Although she'd never agreed in theory
She felt, biologically, it was time.
Still, the whole rigmarole makes her uneasy,
That's why they were drinking this cask wine
She will be left lonely,
But she will be right.
The lyrics of Youth Group's song "Happiness' Border" depicts a complex story of a man at a wedding who meets a woman whom he had not seen in two to three months. As they sit and dine together, the woman expresses how happy she is at that moment. However, the man seems to be struggling with his own sense of happiness, as he has lived his life out of order and never quite managed to cross over into true contentment. The lyrics suggest that the man has a troubled past as they mention reading out his "crimes" aloud. Despite his flaws, he longs to make the woman happy, but struggles with doing so when in a crowd.
The woman in the story seems to be conflicted about her own feelings towards marriage, as she never agreed with the idea in theory but feels the biological pressure to settle down. She is drinking cask wine and feels uneasy about going through the whole "rigmarole" of getting married. The final line of the song "She will be left lonely, but she will be right" indicates that she may be better off alone and not getting married despite societal pressures.
Overall, the song is an insightful commentary on societal pressures to find happiness through conventional means such as marriage while navigating personal struggles and personal definitions of happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
He was invited so he came to the wedding,
He attended the wedding after receiving an invitation, despite not having seen her in two or three months. During the event, she confessed to feeling extremely happy.
Even though he hadn't seen her
He hadn't had any contact with her. Despite this, he accepted the invitation to her wedding.
For two months or three,
He had not seen her for a period that ranged between two to three months.
And there over silver cutlery and bedding
While having dinner, we found ourselves surrounded by luxurious silver cutlery and high-quality bedding.
She told him that she'd never felt so happy.
During the wedding, the bride stated that she had never felt happier than she was at that moment.
He lived his life out of order,
His life lacked order and structure.
Stopped at happiness' border.
He made choices that interfered with his pursuit of happiness, causing him to seek it elsewhere.
They read his crimes out aloud,
They read his wrongdoings aloud for others to hear.
But he'll never know how
He won't understand how to make her joyful when in public.
To make her so happy when there's a crowd.
He doesn't understand how to please her when they're surrounded by people.
Although she'd never agreed in theory
Despite her not feeling comfortable with the idea of marriage in principle,
She felt, biologically, it was time.
She felt that it was the right time for her to get married biologically.
Still, the whole rigmarole makes her uneasy,
Nonetheless, the entire process of getting married makes her uncomfortable.
That's why they were drinking this cask wine
That's the reason they're drinking this cask of wine.
She will be left lonely,
After the wedding, she may feel isolated.
But she will be right.
Despite feeling lonely, she knows that she's made the right decision.
Contributed by Keira G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.