Saturday, 25 February 2006 12:53

“Well, it wasn’t the best six months of my life, that’s for sure, and I guess that I was sitting alone in my apartment, and I subconsciously worked through it.”

If anyone reading this is a fan of The O.C., then you definitely know of Youth Group. Their remake of Alphaville’s “Forever Young” has been forever encased into the crystal ball of indie-rock that has become the background music for every episode. In this particular chapter of the show, Ryan and Marissa have almost decided to break up, but on a whim, decide to stay together as “Forever Young” is softly played in the background. “Some bands may be embarrassed to be associated with TV shows or other mainstream things, but I see it as a way of getting music out to people,” Toby Martin, the lead vocalist, expresses. “It was an interesting project for us to do, to do a song that none of us really had a feeling for, but hopefully we kinda made it our own.”

Youth Group is considered one of Australia’s most quietly adored bands, is comprised of Martin, Danny Allen, Cameron Emerson-Elliot, and Patrick Matthews. Even though there have been several lineup changes, Martin and Allen have always been the core of the band, although the current quartet sounds perfect together.

With songs such as “Why Don’t the Buildings Cry?,” “Lillian Lies,” and “Piece of Wood,” it’s not hard to recognize that Martin was going through some hard times when he wrote this album. “I didn’t really think of it as being therapeutic, but I guess in retrospect, it was.” Martin pauses for a second. “Well, it wasn’t the best six months of my life, that’s for sure, and I guess that I was sitting alone in my apartment, and I subconsciously worked through it.”

With influences such as Sonic Youth, Pavement, and Guided by Voices, Youth Group accurately portrays youthful rebellion and the pain of adolescence in their most recent album, Skeleton Jar.