premiere: Yumi Zouma announce debut LP Yoncalla + share lead single “Keep It Close To Me”
New Zealand's Yumi Zouma is the rare band that became one of our favorites on the strength of one perfect song: the timeless, swaying, instant soft-disco classic "The Brae", which we fell in love with upon first listen back in early 2014. Of course, the group followed up on that gem with two stellar EPs of poignant, shimmering dream-pop, a touching Air France collab/cover/tribute, and they blessed us with two endearing and unforgettable performances here in Texas at our GvsB shows in the summer of 2015. So it probably goes without saying that we're kind of psyched about the Yumi's debut full-length album Yoncalla, out this spring via our heroes at Cascine. And we're even more thrilled to report that the record delivers on all of the promise of the band's early recordings and then some. Check the magical lead single "Keep It Close to Me", in which the band conveys a casual but very real longing and melancholy, delivered with the warmth of a balmy summer breeze:
While everything the band's released up to this point has been something of a long-distance collaboration, YZ guitarist Charlie Ryder says of the new record, "this was the first time we weren’t limited or protected by distance. With Yoncalla, the process was different, and it can be scary to present raw ideas to your friends ‐ but it’s also incredible to see songs evolve through the sparks of inspiration that bounce between people in the same room." Yoncalla is out May 27th on limited vinyl on Cascine. Cover illustration by Henrietta Harris. The band had this to say about the limited release:
"Since EP 1 we've always done limited edition vinyl. We always feel so overwhelmed and blessed at the response because, it feels like a really strong gesture that people buy these limiteds.
For Yoncalla, we wanted to make something extra limited. The two songs that are included on the hand numbered grey 7"s are two outtakes from the Yoncalla sessions that will only ever be included on this 7". They're not on the digital download. They're not appearing on any CD releases.
One of the songs includes a Spanish guitar solo that Charlie made me record over and over in the closet of my bedroom in the August summer heat of 2015."