Yumi Zouma will be releasing EP III later this month and recently shared their new single “Crush (It’s Late, Just Stay)” started as a collaboration with Liam Finn at the The End Studios in Greenpoint.

Josh Burgess on the song:

“This song began life as an experiment recording with a fellow Kiwi (Liam Finn) at his studio in 2015. The studio was aptly named The End as it was situated at the very end of Greenpoint Avenue overlooking Transmitter Park which was arguably one of the best views of Manhattan at the time. The End hosted a few different studios, including Jacob Portrait’s (Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Blouse) who mixed ‘In Camera’ as well as rehearsal spaces (I once walked in on The Congo’s rehearsing!). We smoked on the roof and had a bash at making a song together, which is what we sampled in the verses of ‘Crush’. The working title was ‘First Class Lounge’ because it sounded like some kind of musak that would be playing as background before rich people boarded a Concord.

Unfortunately, The End had a sad finale courtesy of a fire that ripped through the building. Thankfully no one was hurt, but a lot of the gear was wrecked. My girlfriend lives a couple blocks away and over morning coffees we’ll often stroll through Transmitter looking up at the shell of the studio. Like most things in New York it’s relegated to a memory now, but a lot of great music came out of that building!”

Yumi Zouma is Charlie Ryder, Christie Simpson, Josh Burgess and Olivia Campion. Formed in 2013, the band’s earliest material was a product of online file-sharing, collaborating across continents and timezones. The next year, Yumi Zouma released their debut EP, a work of organic beauty pulsing with simple melodies and whispered intimacies. The EP showcased the band’s subtle approach to pop music where soft, off-kilter chords buoy a natural songcraft, rich with style and emotional depth.

Immediately after releasing the EP, the band’s inbox began filling up with inquiries from excited industry veterans. Yumi Zouma were suddenly thrust into the spotlight, getting tapped to play sold-out shows with Nick Murphy (fka Chet Faker) and Lorde – long before they had even gotten together for a rehearsal. Bolstered by the response to EP I, Yumi Zouma quickly released their follow-up to their debut. EP II told the story of a band evolving, with refined melodic sensibilities, increasingly sharp vocal delivery, and lush production underpinning it all.

In 2016, the band took another step forward with their debut full-length album, Yoncalla, establishing their unwavering commitment to the craft of songwriting. Whereas previous material was written in stages and shared back-and-forth online, Yoncalla was the product of the Yumis collaborating in close quarters for the first time. As a result, the band’s creative process was laid bare, exposing an act more unguarded and interconnected than ever before.

Yumi Zouma repeated the recording process for 2017’s Willowbank, their second full-length LP. Returning home to New Zealand for the summer holiday, the group rented a studio in their hometown of Christchurch to write and record Willowbank. Being connected to their origins on the bottom of the earth allowed the band to craft another essential chapter in the Yumi Zouma storybook. Yumi Zouma now return to their roots with EP III, the final installment in their trilogy of EPs that began with their 2014 debut

YUMI ZOUMA
EP III
CASCINE

1. Powder Blue / Cascine Park
2. Crush (It’s Late, Just Stay)
3. Looking Over Shoulders
4. In Camera

YUMI ZOUMA
LIVE

10/4 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
10/5 – San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall
10/6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon