Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “Renegades” by The Young Evils from the 2014 self-released False Starts EP.
The Young Evils - Renegades (MP3)
Riding the tension between sweet harmonies and sour, stinging guitar chords, Seattle's The Young Evils craft deathly romantic pop gems built around the kinetic chemistry of co-lead singers Troy Nelson and Mackenzie Mercer. Nelson and Mackenzie met at Easy Street Records, and not long after, Nelson had recruited her to sing in his then-new band, which would self-release their debut, the acoustic-leaning Enchanted Chapel, in 2010. The band "went electric" on 2012's Foreign Spells, an EP that added a bite to the duo's boy-girl vocal interplay and more punkish punch to their instrumental component. The band's latest EP, False Starts, went through a series of, well, false starts involving some major label antics (which Nelson details more in depth here), but when the EP finally saw release last month, it showed a band that, instead of having any rust built up in the waiting period, is sharper than ever.
Picking up where Foreign Spells left off (and featuring an appearance on guitar from Def Leppard's Phil Collen), "Renegades" is a thunderous slice of fuzzed-out pop bliss. Nelson's growl and Mercer's serpentine vocals sound more in-step than ever, as do the band's rhythm section (Brendon Helgason, Michael Lee, and Scott Helgason). The spunk of the music only augments the duo's lyrical mischief, ("wet dreams, tight dreams, sex on the table/I don't even care if I'm robbing the cradle), and clocking in at just under three minutes, "Renegades" makes its point with both precision and speed. "Renegades" is one of the band's most immediate tunes yet, and boldly underlines that The Young Evils are at their best when they're up to no good.
The Young Evils' next gig is at the Sunset Tavern on January 17th. Get tickets and more info on that 21+ show here, keep up with the band at their Facebook and website, and watch the video for "Renegades" below.
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midday …
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Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning…
