Biography
Young Romance surfaced from London, U.K., as an alternative indie pop/rock duo whose sound merged the abrasive, guitar-heavy drive of My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth with the moody, grunge-flavored emotional tone of the Kills and Cults while also drawing on the inward-looking songwriting of Kate Bush.
The lineup featured Claire Hayward on vocals and drums together with guitarist Paulo Ruiu; the pair first encountered each other at Kingston University and initially launched a group with other classmates. Roughly a year afterward they chose to strike out independently, forming Young Romance in 2013. They wrote original material and, once they had assembled enough songs, started playing shows across London, appearing alongside Mystery Jets, Summer Camp, and Slow Club.
Their opening release arrived in 2014 with the 7" single "Pale" on Banquet Records. The record attracted notice and secured airplay plus favorable mentions on Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6Music. Buoyed by that response, they returned to the studio for the EP Wild, working with producer Simon "Barny" Barnicott of Bombay Bicycle Club and Arctic Monkeys renown. The sessions successfully preserved the clashing, forceful character at the core of their music.
Wild earned the same steady rotation and critical notice as its predecessor, especially on XFM, BBC Radio 1, and BBC Introducing. Building on that momentum, the duo undertook a headline European tour that generated strong attention in Switzerland, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. They also performed on the BBC Introducing stage at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton and supported the Primitives and the Wedding Present. Young Romance then reentered the studio to complete their debut album, Another’s Blood, issued in November 2016.
The lineup featured Claire Hayward on vocals and drums together with guitarist Paulo Ruiu; the pair first encountered each other at Kingston University and initially launched a group with other classmates. Roughly a year afterward they chose to strike out independently, forming Young Romance in 2013. They wrote original material and, once they had assembled enough songs, started playing shows across London, appearing alongside Mystery Jets, Summer Camp, and Slow Club.
Their opening release arrived in 2014 with the 7" single "Pale" on Banquet Records. The record attracted notice and secured airplay plus favorable mentions on Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6Music. Buoyed by that response, they returned to the studio for the EP Wild, working with producer Simon "Barny" Barnicott of Bombay Bicycle Club and Arctic Monkeys renown. The sessions successfully preserved the clashing, forceful character at the core of their music.
Wild earned the same steady rotation and critical notice as its predecessor, especially on XFM, BBC Radio 1, and BBC Introducing. Building on that momentum, the duo undertook a headline European tour that generated strong attention in Switzerland, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. They also performed on the BBC Introducing stage at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton and supported the Primitives and the Wedding Present. Young Romance then reentered the studio to complete their debut album, Another’s Blood, issued in November 2016.