Thursday, 30 January 2025

After All The Party Years. The Yearlings

The Yearlings released two albums and played numerous shows before its breakup in 2006. In 2025 the band is ready to release its second album since reforming in the second half of the 10s. With the addition of Martijn Vink the band has released its new album, After All The Party Years. Listening to the album, I'd say the party only just begun.

The Yearlings play music that must be linked to the U.S. It sounds like Ryan Adams, a countrified version of R.E.M, The Jayhawks. Alternative country rock, something like that. My inclination is to put rock first though. The Yearlings do not mind to put guitars first, propped up by a solid rhythm section. A warm Hammond escapes every once in a while adding a special sauce over the music. Over it all singer Olaf Koeneman wraps his melancholy voice. A minor key definitely is his favourite environment.

That is often where beauty is found in music. It is not hard to discover beauty on After All The Party Years. Take 'Live With Laughter'. A Beatlesque moment or two is graced with a slide guitar played by Bertram Mourits and the Rickenbacker guitar sound of Martijn Vink, who brings in that typical The Byrds sound into the song. With Niels Goudswaard also playing guitar, that makes four guitarists in the band. That is even more than the Southern rock bands of old. Yet, not for a second I get the impression they are in each others way.

If I have to use one word to describe the album, it's warmth. In that there is a kinship to formerly from Utrecht band The Maureens, where Vink used to play in until 2023. The Yearlings musically is a far more direct band. The band rocks more. Both dip their writing pen into the same well in the U.S. though, one where the water is warm and pleasant. Both play music that can be identified as anywhere between now and decades ago. Music for the ages as it were. Not what is popular in the mainstream, yet has fans all over the world. There will be people everywhere who will enjoy this album.

I had not heard any of the previous albums by The Yearlings as far as I can recall. I'm almost certain I saw The Gasoline Brothers, an in between The Yearlings band, play a support show in Utrecht, years ago. I'm near certain that if I had heard one of these albums, I would have written about them. In any case, After All The Party Years is a perfect introduction.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght


You can listen to and order After All The Party Years here:

https://theyearlings.bandcamp.com/album/after-all-the-party-years

1 comment:

  1. A correction is in place. Since the publication of this post, I've learned that Martijn Vink only joined The Yearlings after the album was recorded. It is Olaf Koeneman who plays the Rickenbacker parts. Vink has come on board to play the parts live but became a regular member instead in 2023.

    I chose not to rewrite the post, as it may destroy my initial thoughts about the album. They are versed as it is. WdN.

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