Words by Grace Kinter
Yearn, the shoegaze band from Atlanta, finds its X-factor in releasing emotion. Their debut EP, yearn, Vol. 1, dropped earlier this Spring and leans into this catharsis, with raw, unfiltered thoughts and feelings, musical climaxes and troughs that mirror life’s ups and downs, and a sonic balance of intimacy and overwhelm.
Yearn started out as a solo venture from the mind and music of Justin, but the demand for playing live shows encouraged him to enlist his former supervisor, Athena, on bass, his friend of over ten years, Shawn, on guitar, their “unofficial fourth member,” Colton, on drum tracking and recording, and Bastien and Jeremiah on live drums. Taking a lot of inspiration from visual kei, Justin shares, “We love the self-expressive nature of vkei, and personally my favorite part of the music is their chord choice and arrangement. I feel like alternative culture in Asia has tropes and nuances that are quite different from the alternative scene in the West. It’s quite refreshing to see vkei artists doing something different from what we’re used to.” From unusual chord choices in their songs to their fashion, one can definitely see visual kei’s influence on Yearn as they find their own POV and style.
‘silently, and from a distance’ is an excellent tone-setter for the EP. It begins with nostalgic angst reminiscent of early 2000s pop punk. The vocals are vulnerable and exposed. The tune builds and builds, adding in emotive drums, vibe and tempo changes, an explosive bridge, and by the end, like a wave has passed over, we’re back to the slowness and emptiness we heard in the beginning.
Justin mentions his favorite lyrics come from this song: “I find myself having a lot of incomplete thoughts/unfulfilled actions during difficult times, where I am constantly searching for answers or am wanting to pour out my heart to whoever may be around. Despite a heavy heart’s need for catharsis, oftentimes I find it more logical to keep things the way they are, and to simply say/do nothing. This song was essentially written to be the ’emotional release’ for this sensation; not aimed at any particular individual or sensation, but just to shout my feelings into the void, I suppose.” This idea is mirrored in the lyrics: “oh the way you stray, away, you used to tell me, what’s on your mind, sometimes, you-” leaving the thought unfinished and vague.
Another standout track is ‘die 4 me’ featuring Nocturne’s Kiss. The instrumental rages on for a solid minute before we meet the tune’s vocals, a satisfying blend of male and female vocals. The two vocals melt together, over each other, and under each other for most of the song, brilliantly setting up the outro, sung by Nocturne’s Kiss. The outro both stands out as a feature, introducing a differing vocal genre, but also honors the flow and vibe of the song leading up. The two bands are close friends, and the feature came about off a whim but blew everyone away with its ease and alignment.
With so much of Yearn’s ethos being about releasing emotion, I asked what was released in each song. Justin laid it out as such: “silently, and from a distance” is so “yearn.” Walpurg is “ambivalence,” dazed is “scorn,” hair is “wistfulness,” die 4 me is “bargaining,” and i want u to know is “longing.” With more live shows, an eventual album, and even an anime web comic in the works, Yearn are poised for a momentous 2026 and beyond.
