The cinematic synth pop duo Electric Youth made a splash in 2011 with their contribution to the Drive soundtrack, "A Real Hero," which Toronto-based instrumentalist/producer Austin Garrick and vocalist Bronwyn Griffin recorded in collaboration with French artist College. The duo met while in sixth grade, began dating a couple years later, and officially started the band in 2009. After recording a few demos, including a cover of Clio's Italo disco classic "Faces," they caught the ear of the similarly '80s-focused Valerie Collective, and met up with like-minded artists such as College, Anoraak, and others. Around this same time, they self-released their first single, "Replay," and started performing shows around town. They also began working with College in earnest, providing vocals for the song "She Never Came Back" on the 2009 album Secret Diary. '80s-focused artist Grum also came calling and Griffin provided vocals for a track ("Turn It Up") on his 2010 album Heartbeats. The next year saw their big break with Drive and the release of the duo's second single, "Right Back to You." They followed it up the next year with another single, "The Best Thing." Meanwhile, they had begun planning their debut album, taking time out in 2013 to appear on Sally Shapiro's Somewhere Else album. Electric Youth announced in early 2014 that they had signed with Secretly Canadian and released the first single, "Innocence," from their upcoming album. The album was recorded in their Toronto studio and in L.A. in a studio that came complete with a screening room, which allowed them to let their cinematic obsession bleed into the music. Innerworld was released in the fall of 2014. For their next work, Electric Youth collaborated with director Anthony Scott Burns, composing music for his film Breathing; however, the movie was changed so much during post-production that both Burns and the duo left the project. Griffin and Garrick then released the Breathing score on Milan Records in September 2017.
Tim Sendra
AllMusic.com
