Yawners
Just Calm Down
March 22, 2019
(La Castanya Records)
PHOTO CREDIT: Mariano Regidor
CLICK PHOTO FOR HI-RES JPG
“The new album marries a slacker's drawl to a candied wall of guitars that'd fit cozily into any college-rock and power-pop era of the last 40 years...Elena Nieto stands astride Yawners' bright, brooding anthems with a star's charisma and the dexterity of a guitar hero.”—NPR Music (Austin 100: SXSW Preview)
“The power pop duo of Elena Nieto and Martin Muñoz is just one of a trove of great guitar rock coming out of Madrid right now, but the intimacy of Nieto's lyrics and the warmth of their riffs sets them apart as bedroom rock to watch”—NPR's Alt.Latino
"A record bursting with tightly produced, perfectly composed, hooky, smart, angsty, bright power pop."—The Line Of Best Fit
"Madrid kids invoke memories of The Breeders, Sonic Youth, and all that was right with ’90s guitar rock."—FLOOD Magazine
"Nieto’s huge, wide open vocals and ultra-bright hooks give Just Calm Down the feel of a shook-up bottle of pop: always on the verge of exploding into something even greater than what’s on record here, and what’s here is already pretty great."—Bandcamp Daily
"Yawners sound like they’d be right at home making music in a garage in an American suburb somewhere around the turn of the century, but the duo - made up of Elena Nieto and Martin Muñoz - actually hail from Madrid."—DIY Magazine
"...a lament set to loud guitars."—Remezcla
ALBUM COVER
Yawners are the Madrid-based power pop duo of Elena Nieto and Martin Muñoz. Founded by Nieto in her home town of Salamanca and persisting through a move to Germany before finding its current form with Muñoz in Madrid, Yawners have established themselves at the forefront of the blossoming Spanish guitar pop scene.
Following a series of early singles that have earned critical praise and comparisons to acts like Swearin’, Husker Du, and Blink-182 in their home country, Yawners debut LP, Just Calm Down, released via La Castanya on March 22, 2019. Composed of 10 effortlessly engaging pop songs, the album introduces a promising voice in Nieto, who weaves ‘90s college rock and skate punk influences into collection of nostalgia-inducing, lovelorn tracks that showcase a mix of stunning compositional dexterity and enchanting melodies.
Despite their stripped down line up, Nieto’s deft and inventive guitar parts are layered with her and Munoz’ harmonized vocals to produce a huge sound reminiscent of the early Ric Ocasek-produced Weezer albums, production that is perfectly suited for the immediacy of the material. Nieto, who is a translator and speaks Spanish, German, and English fluently, has a refreshingly direct songwriting approach imbued with playfulness and humor — as on the affectionate kiss off to a stoner ex-boyfriend on buoyant early album stand out “Seaweed” — but with the range to find moments of emotional resonance that would not be out of place beside the band’s emo heroes like The Get Up Kids, American Football, and Tigers Jaw.
Lead single “Please, Please, Please” provides an example of the latter. Utilizing overlapping vocal melodies and a powerful performance from Nieto to elevate the song’s soaring chorus to great effect, it captures a feeling of mingled hope and longing in the face of tragedy. The album's second single "La escalera" premiered with NPR ahead of Yawner's first ever American shows during SXSW 2019. The only song in Spanish on their debut album, the track concerns Nieto's time in la Costa Brava (the Mediterranean Coast of North Catalonia), it's ascending vocal melodies, insistent guitar parts and gurgling synths expressing the excitement of early summer and the joy of living in those moments.
As a whole, Just Calm Down is a suitably impressive introduction to a band with a bright future, who appear poised to be the latest Spanish export to garner a global audience in 2019.
YAWNERS ON TOUR
For more information, please contact:
Jake Lanier | jake@luckybirdmedia.com
Tom Avis | tom@hivemindpr.com