Yellerkin

Yellerkin is an American indie folk and electronica band based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 2013 by childhood friends Adrian Galvin (banjo, vocals) and Luca Buccellati (bass, vocals), both members share production duties. The band released its first single, "Solar Laws," in 2013, and their self-titled debut EP in 2014. By 2014 the band had a periodic third member, performing at festivals such as SXSW. The band May Be releasing a second EP in the fall of 2014.

History

Founding

Yellerkin was formed as two-piece indie rock band in 2013, by collaborators Adrian Galvin and Luca Buccellati. Both members were at the time living in Brooklyn, and had also been childhood friends. Growing up in Katonah, New York, they had first befriended each other around 1994. According to EarBuddy.com, "They’ve been making music together since they could walk." About the small town they grew up in, the band has stated "it was like a kid paradise where [our] music making was just for fun."

Galvin and Buccallati parted ways to attend college, but after meeting up again in Brooklyn in the summer of 2013 they began pursuing music professionally. As the newly formed Yellerkin, they quickly developed an indie sound with "vocal harmonies floating over percussive jungle beats." According to the band's website, “Adrian and Luca grew up together in a small town in the woods, yelling. Yellerkin tells the story of the different yells that we use to express both our suffering and our elation. We yell for tears and we yell for blood.”

2013: "Solar Laws"

{{ external media | align =right | video1 = Yellerkin • Solar Laws (Official Music Video) (Jan 27, 2014) | video2 = }} An upcoming four-track EP was announced in October 2013, with the track "Solar Laws" being released as a promo single. Pigeons and Planes described the song as "a pleasant, pop-y bit of ethereal folk rock, evocative and propulsive without dipping into overt sentimentality." Also, the song "displayed the band’s gift for putting driving emotion and considerable structural muscle into their sparkly, indie folk stew."

According to UNrecorded.mu, a persistent theme in the song is that of maturation. The theme was also addressed with the song's music video, released in 2014. Stated Galvin about the video, "Part of the day was the discussion on this story about a boy and his monster, it had elements, of what we had all be slightly anxious about, coming into the world, feeling vulnerable out of the woods, having to make money and support ourselves. But its essentially about a boy who kills his innocence and has to cope with that loss.”

2014: Yellerkin EP

On February 4, 2014 the band released their first album, the four-track Yellerkin. The EP included two previously unreleased tracks: "Leave Me Be" and "Tomboy."

The 405 gave the EP a rating of 8/10 and a positive review, while Ftwelve Music described the album as "uplifting – a psychedelic, textured experience. ‘Solar Laws’ is....rightfully the single of the EP...with its catchy but frantic nature. The rest of the EP is considerably slower and with a lot more synth (a lot less happiness)." The Sound of Confusion wrote in a review that "Solar Laws" is "something like harmonious alt-country but with actual drive." In contrast, "The stark intro to 'Vines' gradually caves in to musical clutter that seems to arrange itself around the song."

Jon Tanners of Pigeons and Planes called "Leave Me Be" the best song on the EP, praising the production and vocals by Adrian Galvin, and describing it as "satisfyingly structured around hooks where others might noodle." The 405 praised "Leave Me Be" as well, writing that it "certainly doesn't hide its sadness under a bright façade; it's a slow-burning synth buzz like vintage Dntl with a lyric that's the grimmest singalong you'll have in a long time." About the other tracks, The 405 described "Tomboy" as being heavy on instrumentation and harmony, while "Vines" has "glitchy, slippy rhythms."

2014: Recent projects

By 2014 the band had a periodic third member, performing at various gigs in New York. The band also toured nationally, performing at venues such as SXSW in Austin, Texas and the The Wild Honey Pie’s Welcome Campers series of concerts. Also in July the band announced they may be releasing a second EP in the fall of 2014.

Musical style

The Sound of Confusion described the band's sound as having "a slight folky aspect to their form of indie, but they're not formulaic or pretentious with it." Also, they "incorporate electronic sounds and plenty of unusual effects." In their first four tracks many of the band's themes involve growing up and transition, both in a positive and negative light.

Members

Current (as of September 2014)

• Adrian Galvin - vocals, banjo, production (2013–present)
• Luca Buccellati - vocals, bass, production (2013–present)

Discography

EPs

Singles

Remixes

The following is an incomplete list of remixes by other artists of Yellerkin songs.

• 2013: Teen Daze remix of "Solar Laws"

Further reading

Interviews

• Solar Laws Video Review by Pigeons and Planes (January 2014)

• (July 2014)

• Yellerkin Interview by KickKickSnare.com (August 2014)

See also

• List of indie rock bands

External links

• Yellerkin on Facebook
• Yellerkin on YouTube
• Yellerkin on Twitter
• Yellerkin on Soundcloud
• Yellerkin on Tumblr