Biography:
Formerly known as Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies, the Oxford-based quintet Youthmovies were formed in 2002 by Andrew Mears (guitar, vocals), Al English (guitar), Graeme Murray (drums), and Stephen Hammond (bass). Brass player/keyboardist Sam Scott soon joined the lineup, and Youthmovies wasted little time in fashioning a frenetic sound comprised of math rock rhythms, spoken word samples, distorted guitars, and blasts of horn. Quickfix Recordings issued the mini-album Let`s Get Going... You`re Fracturing Me with This Misery in 2003, and as the band`s sound progressed, so did its musical influence in Oxford. Several members founded the local label Try Harder Records, while frontman Andrew Mears launched a side project, Foals, only to leave when the group`s popularity started to rival that of Youthmovies. Meanwhile, the band continued to grow and record, releasing both a single (Ores) and a second mini-album (Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All to Happiness) in 2005. Youthmovies also established itself as a unique live act, touring frequently and often providing live soundtracks for films. A collaboration with San Diego`s Adam Gnade resulted in the Honey Slides EP in fall 2007, and the band`s first full-length LP, Good Nature, arrived early the following year.
