Yumi Zouma - Keep It Close To Me

Yumi Zouma are going to release their debut LP “Yoncalla” via Cascine on May 27. The first single off the album, “Keep It Close To Me”, is a synth-pop song that takes some distance from the chillwave and dreamy side of the band: The bass is more present and subtly jumps, the hook and the chorus are more produced and punchy! It is a relevant lead single and it maybe announces a change in the creative process of the band from Christchurch.

In 3 years only, the dream-pop quartet from New Zealand have become one of the most exciting acts of the genre, by delivering a succession of foolproof EPs and enjoyable tracks such as “The Brae”, “Catastrophe” or “It Feels Good To Be Around You” with a featuring of Air France.

But as it is written in the press release, the band has taken a new approach for their debut LP:

Where Yumi Zouma’s previous EPs were created in isolation, capturing the nuances of each member’s life half a world away, the new material was given a singular voice. “Yumi Zouma has always been an exercise in refining ideas and collaborating,” reflects guitarist Charlie Ryder, “but this was the first time we weren’t limited or protected by distance. With “Yoncalla”, the process was different, and it can be scary to present raw ideas to your friends ‐ but it’s also incredible to see songs evolve through the sparks of inspiration that bounce between people in the same room.” That intimacy is apparent on “Yoncalla” ‐ an album about being close to people, rather than miles apart. Yumi Zouma’s effortless waves of harmony have been redefined and the creative process laid bare to expose an act more unguarded and interconnected than ever before.

If you wanna pre-order the album or check if they will be playing close to you between May and September, you should check over there.

And as we are generous because it is almost Christmas (252 days only… time is flying, you know), you can re-discover their Allie Avital Tsypin-directed video for “Catastrophe”, taken from their “EP II”.