First Single from YJY's Upcoming EP

Photo: Jill Hendershott

"Couch Surfin USA"

A few months back, I shared with you the "Tiny Desk Contest" video entry from Princeton-area indie rock quartet, YJY. The single coil jangle and the obvious sense of humor of "Through Being Hip" attracted me to the band immediately. Until now, though, that was the closest thing YJY had to an official release.

That changes today as YJY have released their first official single and video for the title track to their upcoming EP, Couch Surfin USA. The song is a bit noisier and fuzzier than that Tiny Desk entry -- maybe leaning a little more toward the shoegazy pop of Dinosaur Jr. than the summery jangle of Real Estate. That, of course, is more than fine by me.

"Couch surfin on a wave of nostalgia," sings Steve Sachs. The video, shot in 4:3 black and white and simulating the effect of a poorly tracking VCR on a VHS camcorder, has a nostalgic feel to it. A montage of performance footage and candid shots of the band and their friends, "Couch Surfin USA" also maintains that sense of humor that drew me to the band in the first place. YJY guitarist (and Roy Orbitron bassist) Ricky Lorenzo edited the whole thing.

Check out the video below and head over to YJY's Bandcamp page to stream / download "Couch Surfin USA." The EP of the same name is due on July 7th from our friends at Sniffling Indie Kids (Sink Tapes, dollys, NGHTCRWLRS, and many more).

You can check YJY out locally next month when they hit Wonder Bar on June 29th.