CSC 029 by YAWN
The term "psychedelic pop" seems inherently contradictory. Where psychedelia is sprawling, pop is compressed and direct. Psych is experimental; pop is evolutionary. Yet in the small overlap between the two genres, some of pop's most interesting music has come forward: the Beatles and the Beach Boys in the 60s, Prince's neo-psych-soul in the 80s, the Flaming Lips, Animal Collective, and Tame Impala's various takes on the form in the new millennium are all prime examples. Yawn continues in this tradition -- converging pop's restraint and accessibility with psych's experimentation and unconventional influences.
While much of Chicago's surging interest in psychedelia in recent years has manifested itself as drone-and-groove oriented outfits like CAVE or bands that more directly build on the 60's sound such as Outer Minds, Yawn's approach is multi-faceted. The tracks they recorded with CSC, “Day Trip” and “Overflow,” are amongst their most guitar-oriented songs -- fuzzed-out leads interweave with their tight vocal harmonies and sunny chord changes. In contrast, past releases have included tracks that more heavily feature inventive dual-synth backings, as well as moodier folk-influenced songs. The band has hit their stride in writing engaging and unpredictable music that focuses as much on perfect melodies as interesting approaches to production and instrumental textures.
Credits
YAWN is
Adam Gil: Vocals / Synth / Guitar
Sam Wolf: Vocals / Bass
Dan Perzan: Guitar
Jorge Perez: Drums / Vocals
Engineered, mixed, and mastered by Jeff Kelley
Cover photo by Kerri Hacker
