Toronto — Montreal-based art-rockers Young Galaxy are set to release their third album Shapeshifting on February 8th, 2011. The eleven-track album is the band’s first for Toronto’s Paper Bag Records and is unlike anything the four-piece have done before.Shapeshifting was recorded in Montreal and then sent away, across the ocean, to one of the world’s most acclaimed and secretive producers. For nine months, Dan Lissvik, half of the Swedish duo Studio, curved and refashioned these tracks; he made and remade them. The finished album is a thing of cold reverb, hot drums and synth.

After their last album Invisible Republic, Young Galaxy were dreaming of transformation, transmutation, change. They imagined the parallel universe version of their own band, a Young Galaxy that was never “epic”, rarely “rock” – instead sexy, spacious, haunted by ghosts in silver, black and primary colours. Whereas they once wrote songs of pounding drums and cresting guitar, this time the four-piece sketched their love of New Order, the Knife and the Eurythmics.

In October, Lissvik best known for his work with Studio and recent remixes for Fever Ray and Bear In Heaven sat down at his computer in Gothenburg. Young Galaxy sat down at their computer in Montreal. And across 3,500 miles, Skype-ing with a friend they have never met, Young Galaxy heard their third album for the first time.

2010 has been a busy year for the bands at they saw Invisible Republic featured on the long-list for the Polaris Music Prize. More recently, Invisible Republic stand-out track “Destroyer” was nominated for the SOCAN Echo Songwriting Prize alongside songs from The Besnard Lakes, Caribou, Brasstronaut and Crystal Castles. They bands has also shared the stage with the likes of Arcade Fire, Stars, Twin Shadow and many more. Young Galaxy will bring their new songs on tour beginning in 2011.