Canadian up-and-comers Young Empires are coming to The Frequency on Wednesday and are sure to serve up a memorable show featuring their unique electro-tinged indie rock meets worldly funk sound. The Toronto-based four-piece enjoyed prominent air-time on Canadian radio stations before gaining popularity in the U.S. and they’re already receiving comparisons to heavy-hitters like Arcade Fire, The Killers, Yeasayer, and The Rapture in both their bravado and style.
The band’s Wake All My Youth EP certainly does exude a sense of epic grandeur while still maintaining a dance-y, disco-ish spark. There’s also an unmistakable urgency on tunes like “Enter Through the Sun” and “Diamond Rings” that adds a noticeable element of punk rock element to Young Empires’ swelling, cosmos-inciting music. The band will likely play a few new songs from their upcoming first full-length album, which is currently in the works.
We had an opportunity to talk with Matthew Vlahovich of Young Empires about the SXSW experience, the band’s recent exposure on FIFA 13, and owls.
You’ve just kicked off this new tour in support of the Wake All My Youth EP and it seems like you’ve been playing a lot of shows since your formation in 2009. Has touring helped you develop or adjust your sound?
“I think that when you’re a newer band, the one benefit you get from touring is, you know, you’re playing in all different sizes of venues with different kinds of PA systems, sometimes sharing gear with other bands, or what have you. So it really trains you as a musician to just try to keep focus despite what the sound might be like. Often times it’s out of your control. So it just prepares you for that next level when you’re entering stadiums for the very first time or playing an outdoor festival, that you’ve gone through all these smaller gigs with weird sound.”
You played SXSW last year and also in 2011. Do you guys prefer playing festivals or enjoy the festival experience more than regular shows?
“Well, I think the thing with South By is it’s obviously a great networking opportunity, but I think there are a lot of, like, false expectations that bands have for when they get there, when they’re unsigned, that you know they’re going to come out of the festival with a record deal. And the reality is that bands are cash-strapped and there are all these bands that go down there from all over and nothing really comes out of it. If you do go down, I think the best thing is just to meet as many bands, and check out as many shows as possible. Personally, we met St. Lucia and a couple others and then when they were on tour up in Canada, we’d check them out and kind of build a friendship that way.”
Everything about Young Empires seems very calculated and sort of chicly stylized. For example, you have an interesting logo and also your own clothing line. Was that always the plan for the band to have a fairly specific and sleek identity about it?
“Yeah, it was definitely the plan from the offset. I think you have to kind of have a brand strategy when you’re starting any kind of business or band. You learn a lot of lessons along the way and you adapt to that — you know, you see a lot of bands and talk to industry people and you just get ideas for it. So I think from a brand standpoint, we just wanted to have something that was really concise and representative of the music. When you think of a band like KISS, for example, you think of the band logo at the same time.”
A lot of your songs, like “We Don’t Sleep Tonight” for example, really focus on and celebrate youth. Also, of course, your name is Young Empires. Is this something you guys consciously want to model your songs and the band itself around?
“Yeah, I think it’s partly reflective of our age — we’re all at that point where we’re turning 30. So yeah, I think we’re definitely trying to hold onto something from our twenties and from our younger years and maybe that’s why, you know, the messages in the lyrics and the name of the band, maybe that’s why we chose those.”
Your songs have recently been featured in an array of TV shows and ads. Is there any that stand out to you or that you feel particularly represents your music well?
“Well, I think we’re really happy and proud that EA Sports selected ‘Rain of Gold’ to be in FIFA 13. It’s amazing how something like a video game can expand your music to a new, I don’t know if demographic is the right word, but just a different category of music listeners, you know, gamers? So yeah, it’s opened up a whole new wave of fans for the band and it’s really been able to expand music beyond borders because, like, in the UK FIFA 13 was the number one selling game in the first few weeks that it came out. So when you pop in the disc and that song comes on, it’s pretty surreal.”
If you had to choose an animal that best represents Young Empires, what would it be?
“I think everyone in the band would have a different animal to choose but I’d say an owl because they’re kind of mystical creatures that are up at night and can kind of camouflage themselves. Like, our band, we’re kind of under the radar right now.”
What bands most inspired you to play music and be in a band yourself?
The bands that inspired me were mostly Canadian indie bands that I don’t think had any crossover into the U.S. The Superfriendz is one, and also this band called The Inbreds. Just listening to indie music at a young age though and going to shows made me really want to pursue music professionally.”
What can fans expect from the new album?
“That is to be determined but I think what they will hear is a new-ish sound. So there should be a few songs that are sort of more minimal, but there should be some that re just as upbeat and sort of dance-y.”
Anything you’re looking forward to about playing in Madison?
“We’ve never been to Madison before but we’ve heard it’s a really fun town. Whenever I go to any U.S. city, I just like to check out the local restaurants and bars so I’ll be asking people for some recommendations.”