Discovered in the wake of the Strokes' popularity and the subsequent garage rock revival, New York's art punk trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs comprise singer Karen O, guitarist Nicolas Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. O met Chase at Ohio's Oberlin College and met Zinner through friends after she transferred to N.Y.U. Zinner and O formed the band in 2000 and recruited Chase when their original drummer bowed out. Yeah Yeah Yeahs wrote a slew of songs at their first rehearsal and soon wound up supporting the Strokes and the White Stripes, earning a significant buzz for their arty-yet-sexy take on garage punk. In late 2001, Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their self-titled debut EP, which they recorded with Boss Hog's Jerry Teel, on their own Shifty label. Early the next year the band stepped into the international spotlight, appearing at South by Southwest, touring the U.S. with Girls Against Boys, Europe with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and headlining their own U.K. tour. Wichita Recordings distributed the group's EP in the U.K. and Touch and Go reissued it in the States. In between tours, the group put the finishing touches on their full-length debut, which was expected to have a fall 2002 release. American dates with Sleater-Kinney, Liars, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion followed throughout the rest of the year, with the Machine EP tiding over fans before their first full-length.
~ Heather Phares, |
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