Young Gun Silver Fox

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Young Gun Silver Fox
Young Gun Silver Fox performing at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, Netherlands, 2022
Young Gun Silver Fox performing at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, Netherlands, 2022
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active2012–present
Labels
Members
Websitehttps://younggunsilverfox.com

Young Gun Silver Fox is a London-based yacht rock duo formed in 2012, consisting of British singer-songwriter Andy Platts and American multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee. Their former record label Wax Poetics described their music as a "modern re-imagining of the classic West Coast AOR studio sound of the mid- to late '70s."[1]

History[edit]

Andy Platts and Shawn Lee first met on MySpace in 2005, when they heard each other's music and immediately knew they wanted to work together.[2] Both members had established musical careers, with Platts fronting the British soul-pop band Mamas Gun, and Lee having released dozens of albums with his Ping Pong Orchestra or under his own name, including the soundtrack for the video game Bully.[3]

The two musicians came together as supergroup duo in London in 2012, with the name "Young Gun Silver Fox", referring to Platts as the "Young Gun" and Lee as the "Silver Fox."[4] They released their first single, "You Can Feel It," in 2015.[2] They soon released their 2015 debut studio album West End Coast, whose name refers to the duo's studio in the West End of London combined with their influences from the West Coast of the United States.[5]

In 2018, the duo released their second studio album AM Waves to critical acclaim, with Glide Magazine calling it "the best yacht rock LP of the last 35 years."[6] Pitchfork praised the album's track "Lenny" in particular: "The track is gauzy and warm, with Platts’ sweeping melody and a breezy vibraphone line set against a blues-pop guitar lick so smooth you can see John Mayer’s face contorting in ecstasy every time you hear it."[7]

They released their third album Canyons in 2020, which prominently featured a horn section in addition to the rest of the vocals and instruments performed by the duo.[8] Their fourth album Ticket to Shangri-La was released on Candelion Records in 2022 and received further praise from music critics.[9][10]

Style[edit]

Young Gun Silver Fox is frequently described as a yacht rock band,[1][6][7][11] with heavy influences from 1970s pop, soul, soft rock, and AOR.[3][9] Their music is characterized by funk-driven grooves, crisp horn sections, and Platts' falsetto vocals.[3][12] Musical influences cited by the band include Shuggie Otis, Jimi Hendrix, Ennio Morricone, The Beatles, James Brown, Jeff Porcaro, Steely Dan, Carol Kaye, Alan Parsons, and Mike Finnigan.[13]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

  • West End Coast (2015)
  • AM Waves (2018)
  • Canyons (2020)
  • Ticket to Shangri-La (2022)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "World Cafe Next: Young Gun Silver Fox". WXPN. NPR Music. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b Hennessey, Lizanne (6 August 2018). "Interview Young Gun Silver Fox: You Can Feel It". Bax Music (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Pehling, Dave (17 March 2023). "Soulful rock band Young Gun Silver Fox plays the Independent in San Francisco - CBS San Francisco". CBS News. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  4. ^ Wooldridge, Talia (15 July 2016). "SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: YOUNG GUN SILVER FOX - WEST END COAST". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  5. ^ Wikane, Christian John (May 2015). "Young Gun Silver Fox - About". Music Glue. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Young Gun Silver Fox Create Best Yacht Rock Album Of Last 35 Years With 'AM Waves' (INTERVIEW)". Glide Magazine. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b Garner, Sadie Sartini (29 July 2018). "Young Gun Silver Fox: "Lenny"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  8. ^ Midnight, Chip (5 October 2020). "Interview: Andy Platts and Shawn Lee of Young Gun Silver Fox". The Big Takeover. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  9. ^ a b Donohue, Shawn (21 October 2022). "Young Gun Silver Fox Offer Lush Soft Rock '70s Sounds & Helium Harmonies On 'Ticket To Shangri La' (ALBUM REVIEW)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  10. ^ Buckley, Bill (19 October 2022). "Young Gun Silver Fox: Ticket To Shangri La (Candelion) – Soul and Jazz and Funk". Soul&Jazz&Funk. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  11. ^ Carmel, Novena; Valadez, Anthony (20 March 2023). "Young Gun Silver Fox KCRW guest playlist: 'Ticket to Shangri-La'". KCRW. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  12. ^ Marcus, Imanuel (24 December 2022). "Young Gun Silver Fox to Perform in Germany". The Berlin Spectator. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  13. ^ Sawdey, Evan (11 September 2018). "20 Questions: Young Gun Silver Fox, PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 19 June 2023.

External links[edit]