INTERVIEW: A Fond Farewell From Alex Magnan of Young Culture
Photo provided by Young Culture
“The things we've gotten to do in our late teens and early twenties are things that almost nobody gets to experience.”
By now, you have probably heard the news of Young Culture’s story coming to an end and have hopefully read the preview for their final show in December’s print edition. It’s happening where it all began, right here in the Capital Region and I spoke with lead singer Alex Magnan all about what has transpired in recent history and what the future holds for him and the band.
I have known Alex since he was six years old; his oldest brother is one of my best friends and a long time music collaborator. It has been remarkable to see him blossom into the rock star he is today. At a time when the band hadn't been agreeing to much press, I was lucky enough that he agreed to chat with me. When we spoke, he was getting ready to head off to work in Nashville where he has lived since last year, noting that it was good to be home for a bit before going on tour.
“It’s nice to be able to slow things down and just be at home for once in my life, after being on the road pretty consistently for almost a decade,” he admitted. “Everything pivoted for me in 2025, so I'm taking this opportunity to understand that and figure out exactly what’s next, without putting too much pressure on it.”
Of course, the upcoming tour was coming into focus as it was only weeks away. A tour that was supposed to signify the band taking a major leap, is of course now a bittersweet farewell. After pouring their hearts and souls into their latest release, All Weapons Against Me Have Prospered, a lot of emotions and self reflection came up in the process. Wanting to create something that was authentic to themselves, they worked harder than they ever had on a release.
“Writing this record was therapeutic. It deals with our past relationships, mistakes, regrets. It took a lot of digging up and being vulnerable - unveiling some things,” Magnan explained. “It deals with how much we’ve hurt people and how bad we’ve been hurt. Kind of like saying sorry, but on a sadder level — an EP about admitting defeat.”
Photo by Kiki Vassilakis
The band queued up the tour in support of the release and, in the process, the conversations began to shift from the future to legacy. What had come up in the writing process became hard to ignore. Their early successes forced them into a world that they didn’t fully understand at a young age. Young Culture was initially billed as a party band which, for kids coming out of High School into an industry that is known to be a grueling machine, had somewhat taken its toll. It became clear during the process of making the record and booking the tour that the story of Young Culture was coming to an end, because that part of their lives was their youth. Magnan went on to clarify that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, however.
“I feel like it’s a good, peaceful thing. We’ve been a band for almost ten years. The things we've gotten to do in our late teens and early twenties are things that almost nobody gets to experience – traveling the world with your best friends playing music. When we made this decision, we were looking at it in a beautiful way in hopes that we can do this thing justice. We’re all so close and I have so much love for them.”
As the end of this chapter looms, Magnan has been focusing on himself. With a rekindled love of running, sober living, and being vegan, he has quickly adopted an appreciation for the steadiness of being home that he didn’t have on the road – the ability to take care of his mind, body, and soul for the first time in a long time. Magnan went on to say that after the final notes ring out at Empire Underground, there are still going to be a lot of unknowns.
“That part is more freaky than anything – especially immediately after the tour ends. Not knowing what comes next, both from a personal journey standpoint and what I'll be feeling emotionally. A lot of my life is going to be up in the air for the first time in a long time.”
Of course, the band will be leaving behind a dedicated fan base. Some of which have even been hoping that this is just a rebrand by the band.
“Our fanbase has been committed and right there with us through everything, which makes leaving even harder,” Magnan said. “It’s hard to ever say that anything is forever, but I think Young Culture served its purpose and right now I'm looking forward to taking a step back and taking it all in.”
Photo by Kiki Vassilakis
Young Culture is performing for the final time at Empire Underground on December 16. Tickets are officially sold out but be sure to follow @YoungCultureNY on Instagram to stay up to date with them on the rest of their final tour.