Nothing is getting us through this pandemic more than the release of new music. Having something we can rock out to during our facetime kitchen parties to relieve stress and gather some sort of normalcy seems to be the new way of life.
That’s where Fredericton rockers East Coast Yeti’s come into play, having released their first self titled album just ahead of the Easter weekend and dropping ten new riff-filled tracks. We can only hope that soon enough we will be back at live venues to rock out in person along with them, especially after tying for first place in this year’s preliminaries of Folly’s Battle of The Bands, the finals are currently postponed due to the recent pandemic.
East Coast Yeti’s is compiled of two animals, Richie Young and Glen Love, however you will hear many other musicians welcomed onto the album including Liam Keith-Jacques playing lead guitar on “Hit by a Meteor” and Patrick Gushie opening the track “Marauder” with his violin, this being one of the slower songs on the album yet it still holds steady alongside its predecessors throwing in a hint of blues to carry us onto one of the albums stand out tracks “Thousand Degree Fever”. Recorded and mixed by Jay Merrill at Marshall Studios this track could be best defined as your classic foot stomping powerhouse rock and roll.
“I’m not one to write with a whole lot of meaning I kind of hear, or think of A topic or phrase and go with that. Nothing is really personal, the songs have meaning but nothing that actually relates to me, I kind of put myself in someone else’s shoes when I write,” says Richie Young.
“Daytime Rambler” hits you straight off the bat with a powerful harmonica intro which breathes new life into the bluesy feeling of the album. The track is held strong from beginning to end with the raspiness of Young’s vocals and is noted as one of Young’s favourite tracks on the album alongside “Manic Monday’s.”
With four months of recording under their belt, the Yeti’s took their time developing this album, all while making sure it was perfect for release but partly due to a surgery that Young had to undergo in the fall. All songs were produced by the Yeti’s themselves and mixed and mastered by Young with the exception of “Thousand Degree Fever.”
“With every recording process there would be things I would change and things I loved about them, but with this one I had taken my time because of going through a major ear surgery in the late fall,” explains Young.
With a heavy focus on guitar riffs with added backing vocals and harmonica “Manic Monday’s” is the perfect opening track. It settles us into the bluesy swamp rock sounds in the tracks that lie ahead. The song has no obvious intricate meaning behind it other than everyone’s hatred of that dismal day.
Surprising us with a pop of mandolin, effortlessly played by Young is “Looking Back”, about half way through the song your ears will perk with a guitar solo that will send you on a quick winding journey, which without a doubt is the highlight of this track.
In its entirety, the album relies mostly on strong riffs and raspy vocals for its punch, which is just the East Coast Yeti’s way of setting the bar for their signature sound.
The Yetis’ have multiple shows lined up for the month of May across Ontario, however it is still uncertain at this time if these shows will happen. As long as we keep social distancing we can get back to rocking in no time.