If the era of neo-noir cinema was modernised into a soundtrack for present day it would sound inherently Gold & Youth. They manage to humanise the quintessential elements of noir film, such as escapism, darkened landscapes and nostalgia, whilst bringing them into a contemporary context which draws upon the instrumentation of the 1980s. Whether it’s the light and shade of the 50’s anti-hero, or the sun-soaked synthetic-ness of an 80’s Los Angeles, Gold & Youth find comfort in the solitude of nostalgia.
Their debut album, Beyond Wilderness, has already tipped NME’s Radar by capturing the “cold, industrial sounds of Depeche Mode with the tenderness of Avalon-era Roxy Music". And much like the imagery that underpins the noir era, whether it is Body Heat or a Lynch mind trip, there are undercurrents which are suggestive of corruption and sexuality, realised through despondent vocals and reverbed guitars.
Gold & Youth has been described as indie rock but through the nostalgic eyes of neo-noir, old Los Angeles. Are there any particular screen moments (directors, films etc) which evoke a sense of or inspire your music?
Nobody does neo-noir Los Angeles better than David Lynch. Our songs begin as sketches intended to evoke images, colours, or moods, and so many of those on this record reminded us of the mythology of noir LA; sun-soaked, artificial, and futuristic, with darker undertones of sexuality and corruption. It’s dystopic and nostalgic at the same time. For the more sensuous moments on the record, Body Heat was another cinematic influence.
This will be your first album release with Beyond Wilderness. What themes do you explore and which songs showcase your best debut moments?
As we put the songs together, we would often discuss different places that would anchor the melodic moods and the imagery evoked by the lyrics. When we wrote City of Quartz, I was sharing my childhood memories of Los Angeles, which turned out to be very similar to Matt’s own childhood memories growing up in an expatriate compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That is usually Matt and I’s favourite song on the record, because it triggers those parallel nostalgias.
How was your time at SXSW this year?
As chaotic as anyone else’s, I’m sure. We played some really great showcases this year, which was exciting.
You are performing at Field Trip (Feist, Trust, Bloc Party, Broken Social Scene) later in the year. Are you planning any additional tour appearances in support of the album release?
We’re using that Toronto trip to do some other things around central Canada, and then trying to line up some touring in the eastern US. There are a lot of ideas being discussed right now, but not a lot locked in place. I think we’ll be doing more in the UK and Europe, and hopefully Australia, later this year.
How did the three of you connect with Louise Burns, who is now the fourth member of the G&Y?
Jeff and I played in a couple of other bands with Louise, including her own solo project, over the last few years. She was the obvious choice for a guest vocalist when we were working on the record, which she did right before moving to Toronto. Because it sounded so good we kept sending her things to collaborate on. When it came time to learn how to play our songs live, we convinced to her to come back to Vancouver and become a full-time member of the band. We realized we didn’t want to give up hearing her voice.
The Canadian music scene is quite thriving at the moment. Which local artists are you listening to?
Last year was a great one for Vancouver musicians, especially Grimes and Japandroids, as well as Mac DeMarco, White Lung and Nu Sensae. I’m really looking forward to new music from Dirty Beaches. And of course I’m excited to hear the rest of Louise’s solo record, which comes out this summer. I’ve only heard a handful of her new songs.
Depeche Mode tends to be referenced by many artists in terms of musical inspiration. What do you think it is about their sound which is both timeless and appealing?
Veering towards drama and escapism has always been part of the appeal of pop music, but Depeche Mode had a trick of creating a world of glossy, exaggerated fiction that still felt devastatingly relatable and honest. The technological limitations of early electronic music inherently lent itself to repetition and a sense of minimalism, but those aesthetics didn’t override their desire to write songs in a ‘traditional’ sense. Depeche Mode was the segue between rock and electronic, and they helped introduced a genre to the masses in a way that would have been impossible with something as fundamentally different as Chicago house or a Suicide record.
If you were to leave one last statement with the world, it would be…
…likely idiotic and in no way profound.
