Electric Youth

Electric Youth

Electric Youth is a Toronto electronic duo formed by Austin Garrick and Bronwyn Griffin. The group is active from 2011 and is based in Toronto, Canada. Its sound is described as electronic and synthwave, with strong links to synthpop and retro-influenced dance music.

Formation and early releases

Garrick and Griffin grow up together and begin making demos shaped by 1980s synthpop. Their early work appears on the compilation Valerie and Friends, and they also feature on the debut albums of Grum and College. The duo releases the EPs Right Back To You in 2011 and The Best Thing in 2012.

Breakthrough with “A Real Hero”

Electric Youth gain wider recognition through “A Real Hero”, which features in Nicolas Winding Refn’s film Drive. The track reaches the Top 10 of the iTunes dance charts in 15 countries and later passes 18 million plays on YouTube. After this, the duo steps back to focus on a full-length album.

Innerworld and recording

Their debut album, Innerworld, arrives in 2014 after the duo signs to Secretly Canadian. Garrick handles instrumentation and Griffin sings, and they share songwriting duties. Recording takes place between their Toronto studio and a home studio in Los Angeles. Garrick uses a large vintage synthesiser collection in Toronto, which accounts for much of the album’s analogue sound, while the Los Angeles sessions focus on Griffin’s vocals.

The album is shaped by film references. Fritz Lang’s Metropolis is a major influence across the record, while Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures informs “Runaway”. Other films including City of God, After Hours and Videodrome also influence the recordings. Innerworld includes 11 original tracks and a cover of John McGlynn’s “If All She Has Is You”.