A one-of-a-kind man with a one-of-a-kind music career deserves a one-of-a-kind documentary. And that movie deserves a one-of-a-kind soundtrack. The man in question is Gary Young, a true original in life and behind the drum kit, who, when he was approaching the ripe old age of 40, joined twenty-somethings Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg (Spiral Stairs), thus becoming the original drummer as well as producer for soon-to-become indie royalty Pavement.
The movie about his wildly unlikely story is Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young & Pavement, a SXSW winner with a psychedelic heart and special contributions from…puppets. So here’s the soundtrack, at last: selections from Gary Young’s singular, dexterous rock ’n’ roll life sitting next to original music composed by Edward W. Dahl (Jodorowsky’s Dune) and Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Cate Le Bon).
The days of hardcore punk and post-punk are well represented by The Authorities, The Fall of Christianity (the Stockton rebels that struck a chord with a teenage Spiral Stairs), Hot Spit Dancers and CRLLL. So is Gary’s final brush with fame: the merry chaos of Hospital, his post-Pavement nearly-solo venture mostly remembered for improbable MTV favourite ‘Plantman’.
Pavement themselves make memorable appearances throughout the record with ultra-rare live tracks, as well as something quite special: a Gary Young-penned oddity, with Gary on vocals accompanied by his old friends Scott and Stephen, recorded for the movie shortly before Gary’s passing in August 2023.
Proudly resistant to genres and conventions, the Louder Than You Think soundtrack is as complex, fun, puzzling and ultimately lovable as the alcohol-fueled hippie who helped define the sound of all things lo-fi, indie rock and slacker in between headstands.
This Special Edition CD version features full-color artwork based on the original film graphics and IPR’s iconic packaging, including a 24-page booklet filled with rare photos, narratives by Jackson Griffith and Kelly Foley, lyrics, and a musicians list, all packaged in a custom jacket. Numbered edition with letterpress-printed glassine CD sleeve. (See our separate listings for the Pink Vinyl and Black Vinyl editions.)
Track Listing
1. Wink & A Nod – Edward W. Dahl
2. Achtung! – The Authorities
3. Feed ‘Em to the Lions – Fall of Christianity
4. Later Than You Think – Hot Spit Dancers
5. Sparkle / Bloom Padding – Edward W. Dahl
6. LSD – The Authorities
7. Orchard / Drama in the Clean Room / Malice in the Chalice – Noah Georgeson
8. No Sex – CRLLL
9. Distribution / Cushion of Sense – Edward W. Dahl
10. Glacial Victory – Noah Georgeson
11. Baptist Blacktick (Live May 19, 1992) – Pavement
12. Lions (Linden) (Live May 19, 1992) – Pavement
13. Summer Babe (Live May 19, 1992) – Pavement
14. Refrigerator Light / Laptop Tanktop – Gary Young & Noah Georgeson
15. Dread in a Dreadful Place – Noah Georgeson
16. Plant Man – Gary Young’s Hospital
17. Birds in Traffic – Gary Young’s Hospital
18. Please Be Happy (For Us) – Gary Young & Pavement
19. Appropriation Mix – Noah Georgeson
Releases January 30, 2026
Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young & Pavement CD
"Pulling all the various strands of Gary’s oeuvre into a cohesive whole, this collection does exactly what the title suggests and is both a summation and tantalising taster to the wonderful world of Gary Young and Pavement... Gary Young is the type of artist that the world may never see again, but this soundtrack, presented with the care and attention you’d expect from Independent Project Records, will provide the immortality his creativity demands."
—The Midland Rocks
"A seriously disorienting, never ever boring listening experience. I think Gary would have loved this record... The package is lush with a colorful spine band and a booklet insert with liner notes and lots of photos. The gatefold is beautifully designed with a terrific illustration of Gary and Pavement on the front and a lovely shot of the Gary puppet on the rear."
—Mike Segretto, Psychobabble
"Gathers various relevant aural threads into a cohesive and pleasurable package... The album is a likeable and very listenable tribute."
—Joseph Neff, The Vinyl District
"Really works as a great mixtape, as a great listen... Beautifully put together... Beautifully pressed... Everything from Independent Project Records is just stunningly put together and it's one of those labels you could easily get into collecting everything."
—Norman Maslov, Mazzy's Music
"Memorialized in an award-winning 2023 documentary film that paints an unkempt portrait of a stoned, untamed, creative soul and captures his mischievous, roguish charm with nostalgic wonder, Young died that same year. Now comes the eclectic soundtrack to the movie, and Young’s restless life for that matter, as the extravagant Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young and Pavement package — accompanied by witty, insightful liner notes, plus lyrics and other informative ephemera — traces his journey from feral hardcore punk and post-punk drifter to spirit animal for one of alternative-rock’s greatest messes and an unexpected post-Pavement revival with Gary Young’s Hospital... Maybe the most surprising track is 'Please Be Happy (For Us),' which reunited Young with Spiral Stairs and Stephen Malkmus as Young & Pavement, the three of them pleasantly lost in psychedelic bliss."
—Peter Lindblad, Ink19
"Far more than a conventional soundtrack, it is a sprawling, affectionate, and occasionally chaotic portrait of one of indie rock’s most unconventional figures. Clocking in at a generous runtime and spanning rare archival recordings, live performances, and newly composed material, the collection mirrors the mercurial spirit of Gary Young himself: unpredictable, irreverent, and endlessly inventive... For Pavement devotees, the soundtrack is a treasure trove... Equally compelling are the score contributions from Edward W. Dahl and Noah Georgeson, whose atmospheric pieces bridge the archival recordings, lending a cinematic cohesion to what might otherwise be a wildly eclectic collection... The physical release exemplifies IPR’s meticulous aesthetic, in true Independent Project fashion, it is a tactile, visually engaging complement to the music; a physical object that embodies the label’s ethos as much as the collection of tracks it houses. Louder Than You Think succeeds because it honors its subject without compromise. It is as idiosyncratic, joyous, and occasionally bewildering as Gary Young himself, providing context, narrative, and sound for anyone seeking to understand the man behind Pavement’s early lo-fi sound. For longtime fans, it is a thrilling excavation of rare and unreleased material; for those encountering Young for the first time, it is an invitation into the untamed, hilarious, and surprisingly poignant world of a true original. In every sense, this soundtrack is a celebration of independence, eccentricity, and the messy brilliance of making music on one’s own terms."
—James Broscheid, The Big Takeover