Formerly known as Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies, the Oxford-based quintet Youthmovies were formed in 2002 by Andrew Mears (guitar, vocals), Al English (guitar), Graeme Murray (drums), and Stephen Hammond (bass). Brass player/keyboardist Sam Scott soon joined the lineup, and Youthmovies wasted little time in fashioning a frenetic sound comprised of math rock rhythms, spoken word samples, distorted guitars, and blasts of horn. Quickfix Recordings issued the mini-album Let's Get Going... You're Fracturing Me with This Misery in 2003, and as the band's sound progressed, so did its musical influence in Oxford. Several members founded the local label Try Harder Records, while frontman Andrew Mears launched a side project, Foals, only to leave when the group's popularity started to rival that of Youthmovies. Meanwhile, the band continued to grow and record, releasing both a single (Ores) and a second mini-album (Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All to Happiness) in 2005. Youthmovies also established itself as a unique live act, touring frequently and often providing live soundtracks for films. A collaboration with San Diego's Adam Gnade resulted in the Honey Slides EP in fall 2007, and the band's first full-length LP, Good Nature, arrived early the following year. ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi
