Throughout our conversation, the Pennsylvanian Jazz group Yam-Yam talked about essence of their music from the song-writing process, how the Pennsylvanian music scene influenced their sound and most importantly, how a Yam-Yam curated genre would sound! They have an upcoming sophomore album called, Double Dipping.
When it comes to music I feel that more often than not, the constraints of a genre don’t do an artist justice, so whenever I interview an artist I love to pick their brain to describe their music without the traditional music genre box, and Yam-Yam had quite the interesting description; “Junk.”
I was at first taken aback, thinking they were calling their own music junk, but upon explanation, it all made sense. “Junk” per Yam-Yam’s definition is a fusion between Jazz and 1970s funk music. Aside from the name (which I absolutely love) the genre makes a lot of sense for the band. Whenever I am listening to Yam-Yam, I can’t help but think that any of their songs would fit perfectly in a 70s cop-chase sequence — it’s fast paced, playfully jazzy and has similar twangs and drop-offs as your classic funky disco tunes from your parent’s dusty record collection.
I am incredibly eager to hear the upcoming album, which Yam-Yam released a single from, Cashew late last week. If the whole album is like Cashew I will be thrilled. Cashew is fast-paced, entrancing and addictive, and invites you into ‘junk’ with open arms.
From my conversation with Yam-Yam the best is yet to come, so be sure to follow Yam-Yam on Spotify, YouTube and Bandcamp so you are ready to double dip on July 23rd, 2021.