Youth Group

Sydney, Australia’s Youth Group first coalesced around vocalist and guitarist Toby Martin together with drummer Danny Allen. After collaborating intermittently with other musicians, the pair had solidified the lineup by the time of the group’s second album, adding guitarist Cameron Emerson-Elliott and bassist Patrick Matthews. Issued domestically on Ivy League in 2004 and stateside through Epitaph the following spring, Skeleton Jar highlighted the band’s expressive vocals and nimble instrumentation, prompting comparisons to the classic Sarah Records era, Death Cab for Cutie, and Badly Drawn Boy. That record also marked the full realization of ideas first explored on the 2001 Ivy League release Urban & Eastern and on a series of singles reaching back to the band’s formation in the late ’90s. Already established at home, Youth Group scheduled U.K. and U.S. dates for 2005, among them shows alongside Death Cab for Cutie. The connection with that group drew the attention of the music director for the teen drama The O.C., prompting the band to record a version of Alphaville’s “Forever Young” for the series. The track topped the Australian charts and earned Youth Group the 2006 ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year – Single. Their third album, Casino Twilight Dogs, followed in July 2006, again on Ivy League.