Yam Haus – “West Coast”
Yam Haus – “West Coast” – Single Review
Shiny!
No real idea of what I was in for with a band name like Yam Haus – but I’ll fully admit the name itself caught my attention even before the music did. It just sounds like FUN doesn’t it?
And wouldn’t you know it…peeling open this flashy lead-single from the four-piece Minneapolis-based band’s new record Stargazer called “West Coast” – fun and good times immediately rushed through the speakers to get to my ears. We’re talking like…the fresh, uplifting energy, and easygoing vibes of bands like Passion Pit & Gomez, combined with the dazzle of sound & songwriting from like, Ed Sheeran & Maroon 5 – this tune is an audible smorgasbord of sparkling ideas and vibrant melody. Definitely a band that’s got their heads & hearts in the game – Yam Haus sounds fantastic on the new single “West Coast.”
Hard to say what takes the cake or the top prize for most memorable aspect of this song…this band is seriously spoiled for choice. Those bass lines…I mean, C’MON people – that’s killer musicianship from Zach Beinlich right there is what that is – dude sounds amazing; the technique, tone, pacing…he’s such a rockstar of the rhythm section that you can’t help but notice right away. Lars Pruitt – same incredible standards & more incredible stuff from this band’s vocalist – he hits the key notes perfectly and displays a remarkable smoothness in his tone at all times. The flow he finds is every bit as appealing as the music itself and I honestly can’t say enough just about how right he is for the sound & style of a song like this – he’s taken a great tune to that next level with a truly inspired performance. Between Lars and Seth Blum, the guitars come out shimmering whenever they chime in and they sound fantastic in what’s almost a secondary role that allows them to reach for really colorful & complementary additions to the overall vibe. Jake Felstow keeps the beat nailed down tightly, controlling the energy expertly as Yam Haus continues to move & groove through the rhythm & flow of “West Coast” as a completely tight unit. There’s a keyboardist in here somewhere too…couldn’t find that information out there officially, but whomever’s responsible plays a huge role in the hooks that occur in between verse & chorus, in addition to filling the atmosphere of much of what we hear along the way with what always seems to be just the right sound or ambience added to the song that was needed every single time. Nice problem to have!
No weak points to be found here and definitely no complaints from me – I dig this ultra-flashy melodic-type audio-awesomeness, just like many of you out there do. The highly stylistic approach to “West Coast” is designed to catch your attention – and as far as my ears are concerned, they nailed it. The lyrics are just as impressive as anything else, delivered with vibrant, heartfelt, & lively tones from Lars – Yam Haus sounds absolutely amazing throughout the bouncy & playful rhythms of the verses they’ve written and expand the sound beautifully into the chilled out groove of the chorus. Pretty much can’t ask for more than what you get with this single…they’ve picked a real stunner to entice you in to Stargazer and I can’t imagine many people are beyond the charming grasp this song will put on ya. Always great to hear a band of four so balanced & ready for that next-level – the execution, skills, ideas, and pure talent on display here in Yam Haus has a complete green light to go soaring towards their future at full speed with full confidence they’ve made all the right moves along the way. If this is the quality & style of sound you can expect to find on Stargazer, and I highly suspect it would be, I think it’s pretty damn safe to say that Yam Haus is on their way to some seriously great years in their career coming at them in this next decade or more…you’ll want to keep this crew on your radar and on your playlists for sure. All the right ingredients for success are here – “West Coast” is totally a single-worthy tune & gives you just about a million reasons in one song as to why you’d wanna hear more from them.
Find out more about Yam Haus at their official website at: https://www.yamhaus.com/
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