Label: XVI Records
Members: Ruby Taylor (vocals/guitar), Frank Styles (guitar/synth), Charlie Drayton (bass/backing vocals), Chris Kirkham (percussion)
Genre: Electronic Pop
Sounds like: Kayla La Grange, Bat For Lashes, Warpaint
Links: Facebook, Soundcloud, yumiandtheweather.com
Following on from her curation of yesterday’s Monday Morning Mixtape, we now take a more in-depth look at the Brighton-based Yumi And The Weather. Their sound combines live instrumentation and soulful vocals with electronic arrangement; it’s also awash with reverb, as if somehow trying to incorporate the coastal element of their hometown. There’s a strong pop sensibility running throughout their three tracks on the EP, so it comes as little surprise that it’s been getting some love on BBC Radio from Mary Anne Hobbs, Tom Ravenscroft and Rob Da Bank. With the strength of their debut release and work on the debut album coming along nicely, we’re envisioning an exciting 2014 for YATW. For the time being though, get familiar with the wealth of their material below, alongside a Q&A with frontwoman Ruby Taylor and her Monday Morning Mixtape from yesterday, now free to download below.
All We Can EP is out now on XVI Records, and comes with remixes from Vondelpark (below), Kiwi and EarlyBird.
Download YATW’s Monday Morning Mixtape
Your debut EP All We Can was released last week. Were you pleased with how it came out? What’s your favourite from the EP and why?
I was very very pleased! Its so nice to finally release it as I’ve been waiting for over a year. It feels like I can now start concentrating on the next set of records. I think out of the songs from the EP, All We Can is my favourite because I like the melodies and phrasing in it, and I really enjoy playing it live.
There are some nice remixes included as well. Were you hesitant at first to allow other producers to alter what you’d done or excited to see how someone else interpreted it?
You recently moved to London from Brighton. Was it a move for musical/creative reasons and do you still have much of an affiliation with Brighton?
The London move didn’t happen in the end, which I don’t mind, I think i’d actually mis Brighton!!
Did Brighton have much of an influence on the songwriting and production for the EP?
Brighton has had a massive influence because of the people I was around at the time when writing and the things I was doing, the feelings I was in. I’m glad I had a chance to let it all out.
We know you’re closely associated with fellow Brightonian Amdassadeurs, who also remixed Not Again. Have you got any other plans to collaborate?
Me and Mark (Ambassadeurs) meet up every now and then to work on a song. Maybe we’ll finish something one day but it’s just finding the time to do so!
Are there any other Brighton-based artists you’re enjoying at the moment?
Peggy Sue, Elli Ingram, and finally got round to seeing Physics House Band supporting Jagga Jazzist recently and they were awesome!
Looking forward a bit, we hear you’re also working on an album. How’s that going? We see you’ve just finished another song, will that feature on it?
I can’t wait for this album to be finished. Bringing the band in to it way more, so there will be more of a band vibe instead of doing most arrangement and sequencing on the computer – like how it is on the EP. We’ve got about three new ones we’re working on which will be on there. Might be sometime but we’ll be as quick as we can!
You’ve been busy on the live front in Brighton in the last few months. Any plans for more touring?
We are taking a break to work on the live set. We had a great little run of shows to figure out the next stage of where we want to take the live set and also time to write new songs and start sorting out the album. I think next year is going to be way more busier so we’re using this time now to get prepped and ready.
Monday Morning Mixtape 010 (curated by Yumi & The Weather) | Stamp The Wax | A Student New-Music Blog via London, Bristol, Brighton and Beyond
[…] and is one of our favourite releases of 2013, away from the realms of dance music. Check our Brighton Spotlight with YATW and grab the free download below, alongside some words from Ruby Taylor about her Monday […]