Rating: NNNN
On their fourth album, Young Galaxy’s cosmic moniker makes total sense. Galloping drum machines on opening track Pretty Boy immediately transport you across rolling hills. On Fall For You you’re on a tropical island, then on New Summer back in Canada watching the sun set on a late August beach day.
The lyrics are earnest as all hell, but only once – on Hard To Tell – borderline twee. And just when you’ve reached your sincerity saturation point, they’re off in a different direction on What We Want – a badass jam evoking both Michael Jackson’s The Way You Make Me Feel and the Ghostbusters theme.
This is more than a reprieve from reality the Vancouver-formed, Montreal-based dream-poppers are taking a fantastical journey. Lead singer Catherine McCandless, with her raw Alanis Morissette trill and Florence Welch ethereality, is an apt narrator, while producer Dan Lissvik creates a lush, synth-heavy sound with enough sinister spook to ensure the poppy, dancey thing never gets saccharine.
On the plot elements chart of Young Galaxy’s discography, this feels like the edge-of-seat rising action. We can’t wait for the climax.
Top track: Pretty Boy
