It seems like only yesterday that American artist Yaeji exploded across the internet when ‘Raingurl’ came out in 2017, and now it has more than 100 million plays between YouTube and Spotify. The New Yorker has since seen several other tracks follow suit and now boasts a catalogue of music that features official remixes for names like Dua Lipa and Robyn, as well as a number of solid EP releases on XL Recordings. The same label is responsible for her debut studio album, ‘With A Hammer’,
which was produced between New York, London, and Seoul over the past two or so years, and throughout different periods of lockdown, a common theme among the incredible run of album releases we’ve been blessed with since the end of 2021. Bringing Yaeji’s typical style of hazy, downtempo-tinged house music, the project also finds her maturing in her art and giving us chunks of pop, breakbeat, electro, and jazz. The 13-track LP is a deeply visceral experience from beginning to end, the echoing contrast that throws things between filtered ambient synth music and transient equipped electro keeps you on your toes, and the combination of English and Korean vocals is a refreshing touch that’s definitely one of the best things about the record. ‘With A Hammer’ is also accompanied by a run of Yaeji tour dates, which includes shows in Sydney, Brooklyn, Toronto, Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles.
Where to start:
Passed Me By: Pitched vocals and broken drum rhythms
Ready or Not: Some of the best drum work on the album
1 Thing To Smash: Hazy blend of colourful synths and softened vocals
Previous from Yaeji:
EP2 (2017, Godmode)
WHAT WE DREW EP (2020, XL Recordings)
If you like this then check out:
Ross From Friends – Tread LP (2021, Brainfeeder)
Park Hye Jin – Before I Die LP (2021, Ninja Tune)
Yaeji – With A Hammer is out now on XL Recordings.