Young Gun Silver Fox is a London-based

yacht rock Yacht rock (originally known as the West Coast soundThat ' ...

duo formed in 2012, consisting of British singer-songwriter Andy Platts and American multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee. Their former record label

Wax Poetics ''Wax Poetics'' is a quarterly American music magazine dedicated to vintage and contemporary jazz, funk, soul, Latin, hip-hop, reggae, blues, and R&B in the crate-digger tradition; the name of the magazine is itself an allusion to vinyl rec ...

described their music as a "modern re-imagining of the classic West Coast AOR studio sound of the mid- to late '70s."

History

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. 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''. 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." They released their first single, "You Can Feel It," in 2015. 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 The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government build ...

combined with their influences from the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

. In 2018, the duo released their second studio album ''AM Waves'' to critical acclaim, with ''Glide Magazine'' calling it "the best

yacht rock Yacht rock (originally known as the West Coast soundThat ' ...

LP of the last 35 years." ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' praised the album's track "Lenny" in particular: "The track is gauzy and warm, with Platts’ sweeping melody and a breezy

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist ...

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." They released their third album ''Canyons'' in 2020, which prominently featured a

horn section A horn section is a group of musicians playing horns. In an orchestra or concert band, it refers to the musicians who play the "French" horn, and in a British-style brass band it is the tenor horn players. In many popular music genres, the te ...

in addition to the rest of the vocals and instruments performed by the duo. Their fourth album ''Ticket to Shangri-La'' was released on Candelion Records in 2022 and received further praise from music critics.

Style

Young Gun Silver Fox is frequently described as a

yacht rock Yacht rock (originally known as the West Coast soundThat ' ...

band, with heavy influences from 1970s pop,

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

, soft rock, and AOR. Their music is characterized by funk-driven grooves, crisp

s, and Platts' falsetto vocals. Musical influences cited by the band include

Shuggie Otis Johnny Shuggie Otis (born Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr.; November 30, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist. Otis's composition " Strawberry Letter 23" (as recorded by The Brothers Johnson) toppe ...

, Jimi Hendrix, Ennio Morricone,

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

, James Brown,

Jeff Porcaro Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro (; April 1, 1954 – August 5, 1992) was an American drummer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work with the rock band Toto but is one of the most recorded session musicians in history, working o ...

, Steely Dan, Carol Kaye,

Alan Parsons Alan Parsons (born 20 December 1948) is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician and record producer. Parsons was involved with the production of several notable albums, including the Beatles' ''Abbey Road'' (1969) and '' Let It Be'' ...

, and

Mike Finnigan Michael Kelly Finnigan (April 26, 1945 – August 11, 2021) was an American keyboard player and vocalist, his speciality being the B3 Hammond organ. Working primarily as a freelance studio musician and touring player, he played with a wide va ...

Discography

Studio albums

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

References

External links

* * * {{discogs artist Musical groups established in 2012 Musical groups from London English rock music groups English rock music duos