yautja

Southern noisemongers lurch forward with first new LP in seven years

It’s long been established that healthy countercultures emerge from situations and places where conservatism has an oppressive lock on the mainstream. Examples are plentiful, and are particularly robust when extreme music is in the cultural minority. Even as society progresses, vocal segments fondly remember—and even battle for—the past. And while some grind away on the nation’s coasts with little opposition, others still find themselves on the receiving end of a conservative-clouded, religion-hued, red-state stinkeye. Luckily, there’s no buckling under the pressure for Birmingham, AL/ Nashville, TN trio Yautja, as regressive thought only makes their loud noise louder and noisier. ¶ “Fortunately, not every part of the states we live in are redneck enclaves,” notes bassist/vocalist Kayhan Vaziri. “The dark side of southern conservatism and backwards redneck thinking is awful, but is prevalent all over the U.S.; it’s just got a different filter depending where you go. I definitely get motivated and take inspiration from the underground art and music scenes in Birmingham. There’s definitely discouragement because of the scene’s size, which makes it harder to press on when there’s not enough return,

but when people have to try a little harder and resources are a little scarcer, the end result is a little more special.”

Also contributing to the coruscating sludge/grind of second fulllength The Lurch were protracted writing sessions and multiple tours that provided the opportunity to road-test material before entering Electrical Audio in January 2020 to capture the fruits of their labor.

“It took about four years to fully write and realize this record,” reveals Vaziri. “And that wasn’t four years of strict dedication either; other musical projects ebbed and flowed, and Yautja and our other bands [guitarist Shibby Poole drums in Thirdface, drummer Tyler Coburn is also a member of Thou and Mutilation Rites] did a lot of touring.”

“The writing was pretty slow and steady at times,” interjects Poole, “and just plain slow at others. This was also the first record we completed after Kayhan moved back to Birmingham, which slowed things down a good bit.”

“We definitely made it a point to be organized and prepared for the recording,” Vaziri picks up, “because we were using all the band money we had at the time—and some of our own!”

“I think Yautja has remained an extremely crucial outlet and endeavor for all of us,” interjects Coburn, summing up the present state of Yautja’s union. “Even with Kayhan in Birmingham and Shibby and I in Nashville and other bands, we still make time to keep this thing alive. Yautja still feels like the most personal project I’m involved in, and the one I put the most of myself into—which is likely why it’s taken this long to finish this record. We never want to sacrifice the creative quality and honesty of our music for the sake of ease or convenience. As much of a slog as it might have been to finish this record and keep this band going, it still feels very worth