Song of the Day: Yellerkin - Tools

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 Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Tools” by Yellerkin from the 2014 self-released Tools single.

Yellerkin - Tools (MP3)

Under the moniker Yellerkin, childhood friends Adrian Galvin and Luca Buccellati craft gauzy, melodic songs that alluringly toe the line between an electronic and acoustic aesthetic. After knowing each other for years, Galvin and Buccellati began making music together in 2013, producing a pair of singles that brought out an unusual chemistry between the pair's instruments (banjo and bass) and their bright, borderline-psychedelic production style. In 2014, the pair played SXSW and continued recording in Galvin's bedroom, producing an eponymous EP and the single "Tools", both of which were received with online buzz. The duo's ethereal tendencies are front and center in "Tools", a kinetic tune about generational dissatisfaction. Continuing in the keyboard-centric direction they headed in on Yellerkin, "Tools" is as danceable and direct as anything they've written to date, balancing a bouncy low end with crisp vocal harmonies. When the song seamlessly shifts into a rousing, half-speed rally in the song's final minute, it feels like a natural progression rather than a dramatic switch. That change, along with the sharper-than-ever performances, shows off nearly every one of the band's growing strengths, and makes "Tools" the band's most impressive outing to date.

Yellerkin have a pair of Northeastern dates opening for Dr. Dog later this month, but beyond that, they have no announced shows at the moment. Any show or music announcements will be over at their Facebook and Soundcloud. Below, watch the music video for "Tools".