Stream: Keep It Close To Me - Yumi Zouma

Blogger's favourite Yumi Zouma have at long last announced the release of their debut album, Yoncalla, and ahead of its 27 May release the band have put out the first single to come from the album, Keep It Close To Me.

Having originally grown up together in Christhurch, New Zealand, the band created their twice sold-out debut EP and EP II spread across three continents, with members in Auckland, Paris and New York. The success of those EPs led to the band touring extensively, and the time on tour enabled them to write together in one place for the first time, and during a three-week period in Paris they recorded their debut album. Mixed in Philippe Zdar's Motorbass studio during a week last October the album is now ready for the world, and Keep It Close To Me sounds like the band at their best. 

In the words of guitarist Charlie Ryder, “Yumi Zouma has always been an exercise in refining ideas and collaborating, but this was the first time we weren’t limited or protected by distance. With Yoncalla, the process was different, and it can be scary to present raw ideas to your friends ‐ but it’s also incredible to see songs evolve through the sparks of inspiration that bounce between people in the same room.”

Preorder Vinyl: http://smarturl.it/YZYoncallaVinyl (first 500 come with limited edition 7" containing two unreleased tracks) Apple: http://smarturl.it/YoncallaYumiZouma Spotify: http://smarturl.it/YumiZoumaSpotify _____ "Keep It Close To Me” is the first single from Yumi Zouma's debut album, Yoncalla, due out May 27 on Cascine (and Arch Hill in Australia, Rallye in Japan and Double Deer in Indonesia). The band will embark on a tour in support of Yoncalla that stretches across New Zealand, North America, Europe and Japan starting next month. Dates below. Where Yumi Zouma’s previous EPs were created in isolation, capturing the nuances of each member’s life half a world away, the new material was given a singular voice. “Yumi Zouma has always been an exercise in refining ideas and collaborating,” reflects guitarist Charlie Ryder, “but this was the first time we weren’t limited or protected by distance. With Yoncalla, the process was different, and it can be scary to present raw ideas to your friends ‐ but it’s also incredible to see songs evolve through the sparks of inspiration that bounce between people in the same room.” That intimacy is apparent on Yoncalla ‐ an album about being close to people, rather than miles apart. Yumi Zouma’s effortless waves of harmony have been redefined and the creative process laid bare to expose an act more unguarded and interconnected than ever before. Additionally, Yoncalla sees Yumi Zouma continue their tradition of creating collectable vinyl releases, with the new album including a limited grey 7” that includes two studio outtakes from the recording sessions. The 7” will be bundled with the first 500 copies of the Yoncalla 12”. These outtakes are exclusive to the limited edition vinyl and will not appear digitally. To capture the concepts on Yoncalla, New Zealand visual artist Henrietta Harris was tapped to create the cover art, illustrating the band together on a front cover for the first time. TOUR DATES: May 4 - Christchurch, NZ @ Blue Smoke (w/ Doprah) May 5 - Dunedin, NZ @ Re Fuel (w/ Doprah) May 6 - Auckland, NZ @ The Crystal Palace (w/ Doprah) May 7 - Wellington, NZ @ Meow (w/ Doprah) May 25 - San Francisco, CA @ Brick + Mortar (w/ Maria Usbeck) May 26 - Los Angeles, CA @ Los Globos (w/ Maria Usbeck) May 28 - Brooklyn, NY @ National Sawdust (w/ Maria Usbeck) June 2 - Boston, MA @ Middle East June 8 - Washington, DC @ DC9 June 10 - Montreal, QC @ Brasserie Beaubien June 11 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison June 21 - London, UK @ Moth Club (tickets) June 22 - Paris, FR @ Point Ephémère (tickets) June 23 - Amsterdam, NL @ Sugar Factory Small Hall June 24 - Berlin, DE @ Karrera Klub Birthday Bash at Bi Nuu September 12 - Tokyo, Japan @ WWW September 13 - Nagoya, Japan @ Tokuzo September 14 - Osaka, Japan @ Pangea ___ Yumi Zouma on FB: on.fb.me/1RWozre Cascine on FB: on.fb.me/1jAp5ZG