Song of the Day: Yeesh - Limbo District

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “Limbo District” by Yeesh from their 2016 album, Confirmation Bias, on Tiny Engines.

Yeesh - Limbo District (MP3)

In the same strain of music where post-hardcore and pop punk are cross-pollinated, that's where you'll find the explosive Chicago three-piece Yeesh basking in a genre garden akin to Off With Their Heads, Latterman, Japandroids, and bands either on Gainesville's No Idea label or that would play Gainesville's emo-punk festival The Fest. Having been making and releasing music since 2010, Yeesh tapped into their aggressively upbeat-and-screechy emo punk subset long enough to now be one of the bearers to carry the gritty and guttural torch of progress for their scene. In doing so, they've been able to release two energy-rich records, their 2015 debut full-length, No Problem, and their recently released sophomore album, Confirmation Bias.

Comprised of only three sluggers, Yeesh makes making their presence known seem easy as witnessed on songs like "Limbo District" with quick, catchy guitar riffs and slides, crunchy bass interludes, and chanty sing-a-long build-ups. Moreover, playing DIY house shows and dim-lit grottos like Queen Mary's Lighthouse in Chicago, Alex Doyle (guitars/vocals), Peter Reale (drums), and Greg Obis (bass/vocals) know how to bring the raucous, yet melodic flares of post-hardcore, emo, and post-punk to hybridize their own variegated sound. With compositions that incorporate delicate guitar octaves with vocal-chord-strained belting and that draw from the raw intensity of a band like Fugazi, Yeesh's sound is simultaneously familiar enough to attract fans of Dillinger Four and Braid, but also challenging enough to push the envelop and feel like you're listening to a new beast.

Yeesh have a string of shows touring from Nashville to their hometown of Chicago to finish out their August then they're laying low and only playing a couple pop-up shows. You can keep tabs on them via their Facebook page and Twitter account, plus check out "Speechless" - another jam from their 2016 album Confirmation Bias.