Gang of Youths

Hailing from Australia, Gang of Youths have cultivated a reputation for their lyrically rich and emotionally charged strain of indie rock. Their breakthrough arrived with the 2015 debut The Positions, which peaked at number five on the ARIA Albums chart. Powered by the Top 50 single "Let Me Down Easy," the follow-up Go Farther in Lightness reached the summit of the albums chart in 2017 and earned the quintet four ARIA Music Awards, among them Album of the Year. Their third studio effort, angel in realtime., surfaced in 2022.

Formed in Sydney in 2012 by singer-songwriter Dave Le'aupepe, the indie-rock five-piece emerged shortly after the members finished high school. Drawing from influences that included Sonic Youth, the Replacements, early U2, and Leonard Cohen, Le'aupepe joined forces with school and church acquaintances—lead guitarist Joji Malani, guitarist-keyboardist Jung Kim, bassist Max Dunn, and drummer Donnie Borzestowski—to issue the 2013 single "Evangelists." Radio support followed quickly, generating early momentum that prompted the band to launch its own imprint, Mosy Recordings. Le'aupepe then began composing material sparked by his then-fiancée’s lung-cancer diagnosis and his own struggles with substance abuse and depression. Late that year the group traveled to New York to work with producer Kevin McMahon, whose résumé includes Real Estate and Titus Andronicus, before completing sessions back in Sydney. Festival appearances at South by Southwest and support slots alongside Vampire Weekend, Foster the People, and Manchester Orchestra soon materialized. The resulting album, The Positions, arrived in spring 2015 via Mosy in association with Sony Music, securing a top-five placement in Australia and five ARIA nominations.

Although Le'aupepe’s marriage ultimately ended, his former wife regained her health, and the band continued with the 2016 release Let Me Be Clear. Comprising tracks conceived during the debut sessions yet held back at the time, plus a cover of Joni Mitchell’s "Both Sides Now," the EP rose to number two on the Australian albums chart.

Early 2017 brought the singles "What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?" and "Let Me Down Easy," the latter of which entered the national Top 50. Both cuts appeared on the second full-length, Go Farther in Lightness, issued that August and topping the ARIA Albums chart. Characterized by Le'aupepe as "my healing record," the album received eight ARIA Music Awards nominations and ultimately claimed four trophies: Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Rock Album, and Producer of the Year, the last shared with Adrian Breakspear.

The band’s third studio album, angel in realtime., emerged in February 2022 and drew thematic inspiration from the life of Le'aupepe’s Samoan-born father, who succumbed to cancer in 2018. The set featured the singles "The Angel of 8th Ave." and "The Man Himself."