Yin Waster

The title of Yin Waster’s most recent collection of songs, Staticshifter, is a perfect encapsulation of their sound: it is slippery music in constant motion, while at the same time entirely under control. Every note on this seven-song ep sounds at once accidental and precise – the ideal of slacker rock so many indie bands strive for. While both evocative and undeniably accurate, the tongue-in-cheek label of “garage station folk” doesn’t give credence to the obvious craft and skill at work behind these songs.

Hooks abound both in the effortlessly inviting vocals and in the incessantly clever instrumentation, as shown in the extended instrumental chorus of “I’ve Been Living By the Ocean.” At times their upbeat neo-surf-rock tempos conjure Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever (both the opener “Punk Drug Dealer” and the penultimate “I’ve Been Living By the Ocean”). Throughout, their fuzzed out acoustic balladry tracks like Neutral Milk Hotel’s less abrasive and more emotionally grounded cousin. These songs often deviate from traditional pop structures for extended bridges, with tempo changes and mathy overtures, as in the stop/start bridge of “Hot Cement.” Wearing their influences on their sleeves, both “On the Other Side of the Exit Sign” and “Big Wind for Little Cherry” harken to an alternate-universe Neil Young (if Crazy Horse were more at home in the pocket).

From the surprising structures to the dreamy melodies to the lush and inviting production, Yin Waster has developed a unique sound, executed it beautifully, and captured it in what should be a highly regarded and lasting document of their vision and talent.