Pitstop: Poor Remy

Considering they share members with Brooklyn via Katonah duo Yellerkin (vocalist/banjoist Adrian Galvin and live band member Andrew D'Amico), it really was only a matter of time before I stumbled upon folk pop trio Poor Remy. While Yellerkin's excellent single/EP standout "Solar Laws" offered up a hint of folk influence, Poor Remy dives right in and makes it the foundation for their rambunctious floor-stomping harmony laden brand of folk.



Established during the threesome's college days in Ohio back in 2010, the band's survived both a cross-country move and the involvement of its members in other projects and boast two rather dynamic releases: their debut Still Sleeping EP and the Bitters EP released in November of last year. Whether you're looking for uplifting lyrics, euphoric harmonies, instantly memorable melodies, or just galvanizing infectious energy, it's all there somewhere in Poor Remy's rather small but excellent catalog. It's worth noting that despite their cacophonous heartily emblazoned scream-singing folk, Poor Remy are capable of their fair share of subtlety. Their tunes feature some rather stirring musical moments that occur during the songs' energetic ebbs and before their splendid monumental climaxes.



Poor Remy find the perfect balance between the radiant, visceral response of pop and the musicianship and introspection needed to craft a good folk tune and blend them into a smile-inducing, toe-tapping, display of heart.

Listen to their recently released Bitters EP and check out more of their tunes on Soundcloud.

Yellerkin - Yellerkin EP (2014)

The first time I heard Brooklyn via Katonah, New York duo Yellerkin, it was pretty much instantaneous love. Their debut single "Solar Laws" was such a lush, multi-layered pop juggernaut that I found myself instantly under it's infectious thrall. When news that the duo would be releasing their debut EP, I knew I'd pretty much be the first one in line to sample the sweet, supple homemade jams of Yellerkin's self-titled debut and I'm pleased to say it certainly doesn't disappoint.

For what it's worth, leading the EP with "Solar Laws" is a rather impressive gambit. It is far and away the duo's best track and features a surprisingly different level of complexity than the rest of the EP. For one, "Solar Laws" is all vibrant, craning melodies and a delicate, ocean-deep layering. It's the kind of song where the more you listen to it, the more casually reveals itself. From it's syncopated beats, it's delightful use of banjo, "Solar Laws" is a fortuitous display of the band's innate musicianship that isn't really gleaned elsewhere on the EP.

The EP's second track "Leave Me Be" is perhaps a much more apt display at what the EP has to offer as a whole. While "Solar Laws" surges forward with a surprising band-like intensity, "Leave Me Be" and the rest of the self-titled EP contain a much more producer-esque electronic pulse. That's not all bad however, stripped down from the dense perpetuum mobile, the rest of the EP luxuriates in emotive splendor. There's no shortage of poppy hooks but there's no denying "Leave Me Be", "Vines" or even "Tomboy" are a lot less emotionally restrained. Even though there's an electro-pop approach taken towards the bulk of the EP, there isn't any lack of raw emotion or organic musical ideas.

While I wish there was more of a bridge between songs like "Solar Laws" and the sparse "Tomboy", there's no denying that Yellerkin's EP is an enjoyable work. The duo are certainly onto something special and there's no doubt that as they continue to explore and grow, we're bound to get far more impressive feats of song construction. "Solar Laws" might be the EP's MVP but the other tracks aren't that far behind, displaying a versatility young artists like Yellerkin are lucky to have.

Yellerkin's self-titled debut is out now: