As their much-anticipated debut album finally arrives, Yonaka are ready to fly high.
Singing “I just wanna be a rock star baby” on ‘Caught Dreaming’, Theresa Jarvis is drawn to the same fantasy world that many dream of, one that only a lucky few ever get to enjoy for real. For her and her band Yonaka however, it’s one that’s about to become a reality.
Ever since ‘Ignorance’ exploded onto the airwaves in 2016, Yonaka have been anything but ignorable. Taking no easy short cuts, they have set about stealthily increasing their notoriety, and fanbase, through a series of phenomenal live shows and support slots with some of the biggest names in rock. Part of a new generation of bands set to sweep the old guard aside, the group - named after the Japanese word for ‘dead of night’ - are about to see the sun rise on their thrilling debut ‘Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow’. No longer a mere fantasy, it’s all falling into place for the Brighton group.
Some people are born to be rock stars. Even in their earliest days, few who saw Yonaka in full flow would have doubted that this moment would arrive one day. Sitting outside the Barbican on a day that aptly feels like it’s on the cusp of exploding into summer, Theresa isn’t so sure that they even fit the tag though.
There are many artists that can claim to be above pigeonhole, but few that blur genres like Yonaka, the foursome taking great pleasure in smashing pop hooks into big guitar riffs and mashing hip hop rhythms with synth breakdowns. Flitting between musical worlds, they seem able to slot into any line-up on any stage with ease. Carefully evolving their sound since their formation in 2015, a series of single and EP releases have gradually zeroed in on the genre-straddling beast that we see today.
Despite making it all look easy, merging all these influences and inspirations into a cohesive sound has been a painstaking process. Most important of all, however, the band wanted to wait until they knew exactly what they wanted to say. That moment arrived in the autumn of last year.
Having resisted the temptation to jump into recording a debut in their earlier years, Theresa admits that she was unsure whether she even wanted to record an album at all, but a turbulent period for the lyricist and singer resulted in her realising that she finally knew exactly what she wanted to say.
A door opened, and the more she wrote, the more it came. “It was so, so present in me, it was almost like vomit. I just thought, I have to talk about this.”
Even the album title itself comes with a clarion-like urgency, a call to reach out. With a knowledge that ‘the time is now’, the record carries a message of acting before it’s too late. Aware of the downsides of emotionally baring all like this, all her fears and hopes on full display, there is still a slight nervousness at points.
The others, all listening intently as she speaks, nod in support.
Suitably for a band with those nocturnal origins to their name, themes of dreams and wakefulness are also prevalent to much of the record. Digging into the differences between an idealised Facebook version of perfect relationships versus the imperfect reality, there is much here about love too - but all viewed through a filter of honesty.
These are not fluffy sentiments, but instead a big statement from an act and a singer who feel they have delivered a defining debut. Discussing other iconic first records, some seriously big guns are thrown into the mix by the four - the likes of Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, Jeff Buckley amongst those picked out. In an impatient world, Theresa fully understands the need to make the right impact the first time.
There is a familial sense about Yonaka that is apparent immediately; each member tripping over themselves during the interview to finish each other’s sentence. Every anecdote ends in all of them laughing and speaking over each other, ripping lovingly into someone (usually Theresa), a fierce bond that comes from a closeness that is far more than just musical. It’s clear that a spark burns deeply inside all of them, a self-contained drive and gang mentality that extends to the music too.
As drummer Rob Mason explains: “We’d worked with loads of other producers before, that’s always good to do. But ultimately with this album, we got it sounding exactly how we wanted and had complete creative control.”
“We didn’t have to compromise at all” nods Alex.
Aware of just how rare and lucky they were to be in that position of total power for their debut album, the pressure came from within.
“It felt like we were locked away for a while, but it was the best thing that could have happened,” ponders Theresa, the prospect of self-imposed deadlines inspiring the band to deliver more, faster.
“You’re always looking at the clock in a big studio, with a set amount of time to get it done. It can be good to have that amount of stress sometimes,” nods George.
Spending what felt like every waking moment in the studio, they’re honest about the stresses that eventually resulted in gold.
Trial and error it may have been at certain points in the recording process, but the results reflect a group of musicians sure of foot and certain of purpose.
‘Fresh’ was Theresa’s buzzword for each song, a desire to not sound like anybody else, either now or in the past.
“Music is just post-genre anyway now,” they say, proving it with a diversity of early musical influences such as Amy Winehouse, funk and Motown, even joking that they will invite neo-soul legend Erykah Badu in for album number two - but they quickly began to lean more into one specific direction.
“We’re way more open to the ideas of a more electronic influence than most bands, we’ve just been more experimental,” says Rob, while the fact that they write largely on a computer brings its own unique touches.
Keeping things fresh, all bar a handful of older songs were discarded for the debut. Early single ‘Ignorance’ has morphed and undergone an evolution into ‘Awake’, joined only by older favourites ‘Fired Up’ and ‘Creature’ on the record.
The songwriting process was kept lean, with barely any offcuts or extras kept back.
“I don’t think there are many songs that we started writing that we didn’t use, we’re quite particular. We only had a couple more songs that didn’t make it; one was called ‘Girl’, but it just didn’t fit,” she shrugs.
George is more blunt: “We have to love every song,” he states firmly. “We’re quite protective that way.”
At the same time that her songwriting evolved, she feels that the others took massive strides too. “It was like they found this way of matching the music to my words, matching the same emotion as my lyrics.”
Everyone noticed the same upgrade. “It’s always weird when people tell you that you won’t notice when your moment arrives,” says George, “but a couple of months ago, that’s when you knew it had clicked in.”
Theresa describes it in even stronger terms: “It was only a few months ago that I felt we actually became Yonaka for real.”
‘Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow’ comes out during an interesting time for rock, where a new breed of artist is pushing against a very traditional history. Are the old guard about to be swept away?
Fresh. Always fresh.
That’s not to say that they have anything but love for some of the elder statesmen of rock. Killing Joke, who Yonaka played with in 2017, are credited by Theresa as inspiring them to find a bigger message to the world. “Jaz and Youth kept asking us, ‘What’s your fucking manifesto?’, and I was like errr… I’m just gonna go get some food.”
So do they have one now? “Yeah. It’s about being powerful, sticking up for yourself, about not feeling like you’re alone in this world, and about reaching out to other people. I just want people to feel strong and know that they have a place here.”
Jaz and Youth would approve.
In this way, Yonaka are the perfect representation of the current state of guitar music and its rapid evolution. Noticing a slow shift towards gender equality, Theresa is optimistic about the current state of affairs. Though still admitting that she is often the only woman on a bill, there is a sense that a shift is starting to occur slowly.
Before their debut is even out, they are already looking to the next steps. Admitting that album number two will soon be in their sights, they chat amiably about potential topics. With their rock star dreams hopefully being realised, will it all be big cars and burning money?
“Yeah, totally!” laughs Theresa as the interview dissolves into chaos, their PR suddenly looking panicked on a neighbouring table as potential headlines of burning £50 notes undoubtedly flash through his mind. In reality, though, there is a sense that they could go literally anywhere from here. The only certainty is that wherever they do go, it won’t be boring. No more dreaming, it’s time to wake up and leap into Yonaka’s world.
Taken from the June issue of Dork, out now. Order a copy below. Yonaka’s debut album ‘Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow’ is out 31st May.
