BUY / STREAM VINDICATOR HERE
“It's been a decade since the Vancouver-based rock band released its self-titled debut, and there are few bands whose journeys have been this musically adventurous and rewarding. ...Vindicator, promises further experimentation in psychedelic and soul and dance pop" - CBC Music
"The fifth full length recording from the quintet builds on the synth-laden pop panoramas that made 2018s Critical Hit such a delight. Vindicator showcases a band nearing its second decade firing on all points" - The Vancouver Sun
"In an age of boring, watered down, corporate, vanilla, focus-group engineered pop-rock shenanigans, it's cool to hear a group like Yukon Blonde still taking educated risks and maintaining the same punk DIY credos that put them on the Canadian musical map in the first place." Exclaim!
Today, Yukon Blonde are celebrating the release of their new LP, Vindicator, a record which “represents a kinda new beginning for us, because it was produced, mixed, engineered and recorded entirely ourselves; we made a decision after the last record to spend our money on gear rather than studio time,” says the band. “We made the record over several months at a cabin on Galiano Island, at our own studio in Vancouver, on Jeff’s kitchen table, and in James’ closet. Because we were not limited by time, it is more experimental, more indulgent, and collaboratively more lucid than anything we have ever made.
The whole process was an act of figuring out whether we were even capable of making a record from top to bottom ourselves at all - we did, it rules, and we feel accomplished; hence the title - Vindicator.”
Leading up to the release of Vindicator the band shared five singles and today is no different as new single and album track #3, “YGTT,” arrives alongside the record. “YGTT was a demo Jeff made around 2013 that was included in the batch of songs written for On Blonde, but ultimately was not used, “says Brandon Scott. “We revisited the demo while recording Critical Hit in 2017, however the overall production when we finished ended up too polished and over tracked, and again, ultimately it never made the record. For this record James and Jeff were sifting through those track files from 2017, keeping what worked and stripping what didn’t. They re-tracked drums/guitars/ synths, and fully re-produced the song to capture the lo-fi charm that the original demo loop had (even though we didn’t use it until 2020, our good friend Shad sampled the opening horn section loop for his song “All I Need” on his 2018 LP A Short Story About War.)”
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After ten years since forming and five LPs in, Yukon Blonde have been characterized in a lot of different ways. They emerged as a guitar-heavy rock band with their debut self-titled LP in 2010 and by the release of On Blonde in 2015, Yukon Blonde were experimenting with slick, ‘80s inspired pop elements like those heard on the album’s driving hit single “Saturday Night”. More recently, on 2018’s Critical Hit, the Vancouver-based five piece band turned their attention to mood making, largely ditching their guitars in favour of synths and drum machines to build danceable, multi-dimensional soundscapes.
WATCH AND SHARE “YOUR HEART’S MY HOME” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
With Vindicator, Yukon Blonde rewrite their story again. Jeffrey Innes (vocals/guitar/keys), Brandon Scott (vocals/guitar), Graham Jones (vocals/drums), James Younger (vocals/bass/keys), and Rebecca Gray (vocals/keys) douse keyboard melodies and relaxed grooves with psychedelic hues that are both playful and expansive.
WATCH AND SHARE “YOU WERE MINE” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
From the opening track, Vindicator will immediately put you under a joyful spell and then never let you go. “We’re more mature and comfortable with ourselves now and we know that we can try something new even at this stage in our career,” explains Younger. “We completely deconstructed the narrative of the band and made the music that felt good at the moment.”
WATCH AND SHARE “GOOD TIMES” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
Vindicator is the first Yukon Blonde album written, recorded, and produced entirely by the band. It took shape in their jam space in East Vancouver, a cabin on Galiano Island, in a closet at Younger’s home, and in Innes’ kitchen. But this DIY ethos has always been the backbone of Yukon Blonde who are curious artists with a passion for honing their craft.
WATCH AND SHARE “IN LOVE AGAIN” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
The in-house approach to Vindicator allowed Yukon Blonde to stretch themselves creatively and experiment with sounds and styles in ways they haven’t before. The band share vocal duties and Innes, the band’s primary songwriter, lets his lyrics, which touch on everything from love to redefining your relationship with social media, drive the shape of the songs.
WATCH AND SHARE “GET PRECIOUS” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
Admittedly, making Vindicator by themselves was a creative risk but it’s one that’s paid off. Even the album title is a nod to how Yukon Blonde feel about the record’s outcome. As Innes notes, “You don’t really need to compete with yourself, you just need to challenge yourself.”
“It’s a very rewarding feeling taking control of yourself and your creative ambition,” adds Younger. “It’s something that you can ride high on because expectations were met and fulfilled and that’s a joyous thing.”
PHOTO CREDIT : Jeff Innes // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
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VINDICATOR TRACKLIST
It's What You Are
Fickle Feelings
YGTT
You Were Mine
Play Along
In Love Again
Good Times
Fuck It
Your Heart's My Home
Get Precious
Big Black Cloud
12" Black vinyl including a bonus "Get Precious" 7"
"GET PRECIOUS" 7” TRACKLIST
Get Precious
Get Precious (Jay Why Remix)
PRAISE FOR YUKON BLONDE
"Future house party rocker status." - PASTE
"Erratic and lovesick." - Noisey
"If Wayne Coyne teamed up with Phoenix." - Clash
"Would feel at home on a 1980s John Hughes soundtrack." - SPIN
"An inherently sunny quality, drawing heavily from 1970s American radio rock." - NPR
"Forget the folk, what we have here is harmonized rock with considerable punch." - Consequence of Sound
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