Based in Los Angeles, The Yorks are a (for the most part) duo, fusing pop vibes and lo-fi rock to create a fuzzy, mid-day haze sound. Their latest single, “Parking Lots” is twangy and gooey, filled with 5k paced drums and loopy guitar riffs. It’s a slightly addictive type of rock, and lucky for us, the two just released their self titled EP, produced by Chris Lynch and Adam Rasmussen of Gardens and Villa.
Read our chat with George Azanza below.
How did The Yorks form?
“The Yorks” was formed in early 2014 by [me] and a close friend of mine, Jesus Garcia. The Yorks was intended to be our creative outlet; we had some songs that we wanted to record under the project. After realizing the songs weren’t much use without a band to play live shows with, we started looking for a drummer and bassist. Finding band mates that fit the bill was no small task but we eventually managed to complete the line-up. That’s when Louis Richard came in as a bass player.
After a bit of time the band’s paradigm had shifted, the bassist, Louis Richard, took over the partner slot that Mr. Garcia (my friend) once filled. After a couple of departures, only Louis and I were left. The hunt for a complete band began again while we were trying to record and release our EP at the same time. Although Louis and I are still the core, we finally have a full band to play shows with and look forward to whatever the band brings us.
How do you think the culture of LA influences your music?
The culture of L.A. is one-of-a-kind. It’s a big pond filled with amazing music. It really encourages us to be the best that we can be when playing live and making music. We put great heart and energy into our performances as we feel it’s the best shot we have to stand out among all the other great shows that are going on right now. The same mentality applies to the music we write and record. We worked incredibly meticulously with our producers to really get a sound that was unique and could shine through the heap of new music.
What are your backgrounds in music?
We don’t really have traditional backgrounds in music or anything like that; we don’t even have any musician family members. If anything, we are simply BIG music fans. We enjoy music immensely and couldn’t really see ourselves doing anything else with our lives – so here we are!
What was the process like making your EP?
After recording the demos, we decided that we wanted to work with producers that we thought could take the songs even further. That’s why we contacted Chris Lynch and Adam Rasmussen of Gardens and Villa fame. Fortunately they wanted to work with us too!
After that, the process was one that we will never forget. It was Richard’s first time in the studio and I hadn’t spent much time in one either so both of us were giddy with excitement to finally be laying down tracks that we worked so hard on. Our producers, were out of this world and really pushed us to be all that we could. Initially, we thought we would just come in and lay down the tracks like they were in the demos, but with better recording techniques. However, Chris and Adam pushed us to improve the songwriting then and there, and we would not lay a track down until we all thought we were all satisfied with the musical idea. It took quite a bit longer than we would have liked to, but the process was very rewarding. After that, it took even longer to get everything ready for the release but now that we’re finally here, boy are we excited.
Who are your biggest music influences?
If we were to name one group it would be The Beatles. They are our favorite band, and the reason why we got into music in the first place. This all happened before we even met each other.
They still remain our biggest influence but we are also influenced by a huge variety of different styles and artists. For example, our producers introduced us to the works of William Onyeabor, and we really got into the idea of strong grooves carrying a song. You have to be able to take everything in or else you’re putting yourself at a musical disadvantage. We try and listen to as much music as we can to try and keep our musical blades whetted. If we had to nail it down to what really influences us the most we would probably turn to 60’s – 70’s rock and modern day indie rock.
Interview by Virginia Croft. Find The Yorks on Facebook and Instagram.
The post Interview: The Yorks appeared first on Brooklyn based music and culture zine.