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Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs in 2006. L–R: Karen O, Brian Chase, Nick Zinner
Yeah Yeah Yeahs in 2006. L–R: Karen O, Brian Chase, Nick Zinner
Background information
OriginNew York City, U.S.
Genres
WorksDiscography
Years active
  • 2000–2014
  • 2017–present
Labels
Members
Websiteyeahyeahyeahs.com

Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group consists of vocalist/pianist Karen O, guitarist/keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase; they do not have a bassist but have been complemented during live shows by David Pajo and Imaad Wasif.[1] They are known for energetic performances and a blend of genres, including art rock and dance-rock.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs found commercial success with their debut album, Fever to Tell (2003), which has been cited as their best work. It produced four singles, including "Maps", which became one of the band's most recognizable songs. They issued a second album, Show Your Bones (2006), and shifted to dance-punk with their third, It's Blitz! (2009). Both records received positive reviews, and the latter spawned the hit single "Heads Will Roll". The band's fourth album, Mosquito (2013), became their highest-charting record in the United States but did not match the reception of its predecessors. The group went on a hiatus the following year and returned in 2017, performing live for the rest of the 2010s. Their fifth and most recent album, Cool It Down, was released in 2022 to critical acclaim. It produced the digital hit "Spitting Off the Edge of the World".

In 2002, Rolling Stone described Yeah Yeah Yeahs as "the best thing to happen to punk rock".[2] They have received several accolades, including nominations for five Grammy Awards—four of which were for Best Alternative Music Album—and seven MTV Video Music Awards. Rolling Stone included Fever to Tell on their list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and "Maps" on their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

History

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Early years (2000–2002)

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Yeah Yeah Yeahs officially formed in 2000, naming themselves after a New York City vernacular expression.[3] Karen Orzolek (who would henceforth be known as "Karen O") and Brian Chase first met as students at Oberlin College in Ohio in the late 1990s. Karen O then transferred to New York University and met Nick Zinner, a student at Bard College, in a local bar, where they formed an "instant connection". During this time, they also shared a loft with future members of the Canadian band Metric.[4] Karen O and Zinner formed an acoustic duo called Unitard but soon decided to "shake things up a bit" by forming a "trashy, punky, grimy" band modeled after the art punk bands Karen O had been exposed to at Oberlin; they added Chase as a drummer and became a trio.[5]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs wrote a slew of songs at their first rehearsal and soon wound up supporting the Strokes and the White Stripes, earning a significant buzz for their arty and garage punk sound. In late 2001, they released their self-titled debut EP, which they recorded with Boss Hog's Jerry Teel, on their own Shifty label.[6] Early the next year, they stepped into the international spotlight, appearing at SXSW, touring the U.S. with Girls Against Boys, and Europe with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, as well as headlining their own British tour. Wichita Recordings distributed the group's EP in the U.K., and Touch and Go reissued it in the States.[7]

Fever to Tell and Show Your Bones (2003–2007)

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In 2003, the band released their debut album, Fever to Tell, which received several strong critical reviews and sold more than 750,000 copies worldwide. The album's third single, "Maps", received significant airplay on alternative radio. In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked "Maps" as 386th in their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and at 101th in their 2021 revised list. The same publication placed Fever to Tell in 377th place on their "Top 500 Albums of All Time" list. The video for the band's 2004 single "Y Control" was directed by Spike Jonze. In October 2004, the band released their first DVD, Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow. The DVD included a concert filmed at The Fillmore in San Francisco, all of the band's music videos to date, and various interviews. In November 2009, NME rated Fever to Tell the fifth-best album of the decade.[8]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs performing in 2006

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' second album, Show Your Bones, was released on March 28, 2006. Karen O told online zine Drowned in Sound, "Show Your Bones is what happens when you put your finger in a light socket", crediting "9-year old antigenius wonder-kid Drake Barrett for the insight".[9] The first single from the album, "Gold Lion", came out on March 20, 2006, reaching No. 18 on the UK Singles Chart. The band toured throughout Europe and the United States during much of 2006 and also helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival. In December, Show Your Bones was named second-best album of the year by NME,[10] and "Cheated Hearts" was voted tenth-best song. Rolling Stone magazine named Show Your Bones the 44th-best album of 2006,[citation needed] while Spin ranked it number 31 on their 40 best albums of 2006.[citation needed] The same year, the band were featured in Scott Crary's documentary Kill Your Idols.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs' third EP, titled Is Is, was released on July 24, 2007. It includes five previously unreleased songs and a short film, which was recorded and filmed at the Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. The songs were written in 2004, during the Fever To Tell tour, and performed live often.[11] Three of the five tracks were featured on the Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow DVD.

It's Blitz!, Mosquito, and hiatus (2008–2016)

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Yeah Yeah Yeahs performing at Glastonbury in 2009

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' next album was released in March 2009 and titled It's Blitz!.[12] The band stated the album sounds different from their previous ones but "still [sounds] like Yeah Yeah Yeahs". It was originally set to be published on April 13, but following an internet leak on February 22, the band's label, Interscope, pulled the release date closer to reduce the leak's impact.[13] The album spawned three singles: "Zero", "Heads Will Roll", and "Skeletons". It's Blitz! was named second-best album of 2009 by Spin and third-best by NME. The track "Zero" was ranked as the best track of the year by both.[14][15][16][17]

On December 9, 2011, Karen O reported to NME that she had been working on new music with the band, hinting a new album was possibly in the making.[18] On January 14, 2013, Yeah Yeah Yeahs announced on their Facebook page that the new record would be titled Mosquito. It was released on April 16 of the same year.[19] The album features production by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, Nick Launay, and LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy.[20] The first single, "Sacrilege", came out on February 15, 2013.[21] "Despair" was issued as the second single, on July 23.[22] In December 2014, the band went on hiatus.[23]

Return and Cool It Down (2017–present)

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Yeah Yeah Yeahs performing in 2018

In 2016, Yeah Yeah Yeahs received writing credits on the Beyoncé single "Hold Up".[24] On June 20, 2017, the band announced that they would be headlining the Austin Sound on Sound festival on November 10, adding: "Watch for more news coming soon".[25] The festival was subsequently cancelled.[26]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs released a deluxe remastering of their debut album on October 20, 2017, through Interscope / UMe. It features previously unreleased demos, B-sides, and other rarities from the era.[27] In a press release, the band stated, "A friend of a friend kept asking if we were ever gonna put Fever to Tell out on vinyl as it hasn't been on vinyl in 10 years. That's not right. So here it is on vinyl for the first time in 10 years plus a time capsule of photos, demos (1st ever recorded,) a mini film documenting our near downfall and other fun memorabilia, from the turn of the century NYC, made with love + the usual blood, sweat + tears of Yeah Yeah Yeahs." To celebrate the reissue, they performed a small series of shows in October and November at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, the Fox Oakland Theatre in Oakland, and Kings Theatre in Brooklyn. On May 26, 2018, they played at All Points East in London.[28]

In June 2022, the band announced that they would be releasing the album Cool It Down through Secretly Canadian on September 30, making it their first record in nine years.[29] They issued the first single, "Spitting Off the Edge of the World", featuring Perfume Genius, on June 1.[30] On September 29, the band performed their second single, "Burning", on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as part of the show's weeklong residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[31][32]

Musical style

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Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been classified as indie rock, garage rock, garage punk, art punk, art rock, and post-punk.[33][34] The band's style has been described as "an art-rock trio who made an edgy post-punk, dancefloor-friendly racket that mixed up Blondie, Pretenders, and Siouxsie and the Banshees".[35][36]

Band members

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Discography

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Main article: Yeah Yeah Yeahs discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations

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Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been nominated for five Grammy Awards.[37][38][39][40]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2004 Fever to Tell Best Alternative Music Album Nominated
2007 Show Your Bones Best Alternative Music Album Nominated
2010 It's Blitz! Best Alternative Music Album Nominated
2023 Cool It Down Best Alternative Music Album Nominated
"Spitting Off the Edge of the World" Best Alternative Music Performance Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Phares, Heather (May 17, 2002). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". AllMusic. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  2. ^ Eliscu, Jenny (December 12, 2002). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Aim High". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  3. ^ Nuno Brandão (December 21, 2012), Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Live from Central Park, 2004, retrieved February 8, 2016
  4. ^ "YYYs shared a loft with Metric". Ladygunn.com. November 28, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  5. ^ Hanley, Lynsey (February 26, 2006). "Lynsey Hansley talks to Yeah Yeah Yeahs". The Guardian. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
  6. ^ "Jerry Teel". Discogs. Retrieved April 15, 2009.[better source needed]
  7. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". mtv. Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
  8. ^ "The Strokes' 'Is This It' tops NME albums of the decade list". NME News. November 17, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
  9. ^ Roberts, Colin (January 11, 2006). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs LP and single details, yeah". Drowned In Sound. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  10. ^ NME.COM. "A decade in music – 50 best albums of 2006 | NME.COM". NME. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  11. ^ Maher, Dave (July 13, 2006). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Release New EP of Old Songs". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  12. ^ Breihan, Tom (January 21, 2009). "New Yeah Yeah Yeahs Album: It's Blitz". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on March 12, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
  13. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs to release album early due to leak". NME. March 3, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
  14. ^ "The 40 Best Albums of 2009". Spin. December 7, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  15. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2009". NME. December 2, 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  16. ^ "50 Best Tracks of 2009". NME. December 2, 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  17. ^ Spin Staff (December 7, 2009). "The 20 Best Songs of 2009". Spin. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  18. ^ "Karen O: 'I have been working on new Yeah Yeah Yeahs music'". NME.com. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  19. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs's Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  20. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Go 'Raw, Chaotic, Dreamy' on April Album 'Mosquito'". January 14, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  21. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Twitter". Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  22. ^ "iTunes – Music – Despair – Single – Yeah Yeah Yeahs". iTunes Store. January 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  23. ^ "Karen O says Yeah Yeah Yeahs 'are on a bit of a hiatus'". Nme.com. December 22, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  24. ^ "Here's How Ezra Koenig Squeezed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Maps' Into Beyonce's 'Lemonade'". Billboard.com. April 26, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  25. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Announce First Concert in Four Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  26. ^ Stith, Deborah. "Sound on Sound Fest 2017 cancelled after main investor pulls out". austin360.
  27. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Announce Fever to Tell Reissue, Share Unreleased Song: Listen | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  28. ^ "Why We're So Excited About Yeah Yeah Yeahs' UK Comeback This Weekend". diymag.com. May 22, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  29. ^ Richards, Will (June 1, 2022). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs announce long-awaited new album 'Cool It Down' with Perfume Genius collaboration". NME. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  30. ^ Gotrich, Lars (June 7, 2022). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs (feat. Perfume Genius), 'Spitting Off the Edge of the World'". NPR. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  31. ^ Tinoco, Armando (September 24, 2022). "'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' Sets Guest Lineup as Late-Night Host Goes Back to Brooklyn for a Week". Deadline. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  32. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Give Volcanic 'Kimmel' Performance & Release New Album 'Cool It Down': Watch & Stream". Stereogum. September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  33. ^ "NY-based Yeah Yeah Yeahs headline Love Garage". The Jakarta Post. February 4, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  34. ^ McLean, Craig (June 13, 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: why fans of the art-punk trio can't say no". The Times. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  35. ^ McLean, Craig (June 13, 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: why fans of the art-punk trio can't say no". The Times. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  36. ^ Gross, Joe (April 15, 2013). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 'Mosquito' (Interscope)". Spin. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  37. ^ "46th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  38. ^ "49th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  39. ^ "52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  40. ^ Lee, Taila (November 15, 2022). "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Winners & Nominees List". Grammy Awards. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
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