Music / Premieres
Premiere:
Yawn Vibes - Stadium
Words by James Lynch
Tuesday 12th January, 2021
Ahead of its official release this Thursday, emerging indie-pop collective Yawn Vibes have been kind enough to give us a sneak listen to their radiant debut single ‘Stadium’.
Where other bands might feel inclined to rush out of the gates on their debut release, on ‘Stadium’, Perth’s Yawn Vibes take a far more self-assured approach. As their press release suggests, the group have taken “the driver’s seat of a beat up 98 Camry sedan to deliver us their first single”, and that’s bang on the money - on a first spin, ’Stadium’ instantly feels worn-in and dependable, with enough bedroom-pop charisma to make us well aware that there’s plenty more in the tank to be revealed on repeat listens.

As soon as ‘Stadium’ begins, we’re immersed beneath waves of glowing guitars and breezy hooks, while a sturdy backbeat bounces underneath. Despite the track’s sunny exterior, vocalist Taylah Mclean is tender and direct up front, her rich voice flowing with sentimental nostalgia as it quivers alongside the shimmering instrumentation - however, with its hypnotic grooves and unwavering hooks, it’s just as easy to sit back and let the glorious tangle of sounds wash over us as the track cruises towards the finishing line.

Speaking about ‘Stadium’, the band explain “we kinda wish we were rock dogs in Dunedin in the 80’s, but we’re not so we took our namesake from our mutually loved The Bats and worked on bringing in our love of 80s NZ bands, kitsch Australiana, and crisp and clean guitars whilst pairing it with driving vocals.”

‘Stadium’ is out officially on January 14th in all the usual places, before Big Yawn launch the single on Saturday January 23rd at The Bird in Perth.