Five years since their formation, San Jose indie-pop outfit, A Yawn Worth Yelling, are enjoying their status as one of the South Bay’s most buzzed-about bands as they prepare to release a new EP and play the upcoming C2SV music and technology conference.
What began as a high school side project back in 2010 has evolved into an all-consuming effort, which is beginning to pay dividends—as media outlets, including Impose Magazine and PopMatters, have praised the band’s brand of complex-yet-catchy songwriting.
Naturally, AYWY have also garnered plenty of respect on the local indie circuit—playing with the likes of Picture Atlantic, Finish Ticket and Rin Tin Tiger, and collecting fans along the way. After years of performing and self-releasing four EPs, A Yawn Worth Yelling recently broke the attendance record for a show at the Art Boutiki.
Now they are hoping that this wave of local popularity and attention from the broader blogosphere will propel them even further. Taking advantage of their burgeoning fan base, A Yawn Worth Yelling ran a successful crowdfunding campaign—using the revenue to produce their fifth release, the Play Pretend EP.
According to guitarist and singer Brayden Deskins, Play Pretend, which was given a professional budget, marks the next evolutionary leap for his band. “This is us at our most focused,” Deskins says. “We really refined our sound and took the time to make the best release we could.”
The first single off the forthcoming EP, “Start Somewhere,” is definitely representative of the band’s heightened energy. A four-minute pop-rock romp, full of slick production, tight harmonies and an infectious melody, the track strikes a balance between eclectic and accessible—and is reflective of their diverse influences, which include many bands that straddle the line between pop and proggy songwriting, such as Dirty Projectors, Manchester Orchestra and The Dear Hunter.
“Play Pretend is a release that sounds pretty similar to our previous stuff, but we put a little spin on it to make it fresh to people who’ve been listening to us for a while,” guitarist Tyler Boyd says. “We want to make all our releases like that—similar enough to draw you back, but innovative enough to make you stay.”
A Yawn Worth Yelling are hoping Play Pretend will be the first step toward becoming a larger force in the music industry. As they look to the future, they are preparing to move to Los Angeles and are courting record labels. The next step is a full-length record.
Play Pretend is slated to be released Sept. 18. A Yawn Worth Yelling are playing the C2SV music and technology conference in San Jose on Oct. 8 and 9.
