As the summer heat rolls on, we all look for a song or an artist that will provide us with music for fun in the sun. Now you may look no further than the Windy City's own YAWN. They are a fantastic live band, and with the release of their latest EP, Happy Tears, they also proved they are incredibly fun in the studio. YAWN provides a certain electronic pop meets indie rock that fans of Phoenix, Passion Pit and Yeasayer will eat up. I spoke to member Daniel Perzan about Chicago, the band's work and songwriting process and what is next.
Hailing from Chicago, how has the city influenced your work?
In many ways, most of it come down to the seasons. The weather here is very unpredictable and bi-polar, in that when it's hot one day it does not at all meant that it's going to be tomorrow. Winters we are usually stuck in-doors, so we actually can get really productive when we live together.
For a band with such a lush and pop sound, why did you settle on calling yourselves YAWN?
We were just kind of sick of thinking of band names. Everything sounded like something else, or sounded goofy to us. YAWN just looked good in all cap. It was also a name that you couldn't make fun of without sounding very uncreative.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard of you before?
Pop oriented electronic rock dub indie things that your grandma may or may not like.
You released your EP, Happy Tears. Is a full length in the works?
Yes. Something is constantly being brewed up in the studio.
What is your song writing process like?
One of us brings a simple sample/beat/melody or something more elaborated upon sometimes, and we just work off of that throwing ideas in the ring.
Your live shows are a non-stop, wild dance party for you and the audience. After playing, do you feel simply exhausted leaving the stage and question how you can keep this up?
No way! We need to get the energy out somewhere, touring is just sitting on your ass for hours and hours. Dancing around and breaking a sweat feels great.
Most of the faces you are playing in front of have never heard of you before, yet, you are winning over audiences at every stop you play in. How does that make you feel?
Amazing, like something we are doing is obviously coming across. We always thought of ourselves more as a studio band, so we were never really comfortable with our live performances, but hearing that makes it a lot easier on us.
As a new band, how do you feel you stand out from the other bands emerging today?
I don't know if we do now. There are so many bands with so many sounds that there are a few we sound like. With the interwebs everyone can have a band and an audience.
Where do you see YAWN in a year from now?
Releasing an LP and touring, lots of touring.