Yuni In Taxco

“On their third album, the prolific quintet continues their voyage into a self-made jungle of jangly surf guitars, Kraut-y keyboard riffs, and dueling vocal lines. It’s a safari you’ll wish never ended.” - Seattle Weekly

"You're gonna want to take the trip." - YVYNYL

If you think that albums are linked to a particular season, than Seattle band Yuni in Taxco’s record Sanpaku definitely belongs to summer. There are vocal harmonies, gentle rolling guitar chords, and even steel drums on one track. It’s the kind of music that makes you want to barbecue on an apartment building’s roof or drive directly to the nearest beach. - Converse Shoes (Music Blog)

Today’s Song of the Day offering is one of the first official beacons of the very much anticipated summer months and is provided by Seattle band Yuni In Taxco. Their unique blend of lo-fi dreamy surf pop is quite out of character for much of what music is happening in Seattle, but that only helps put a spotlight on this quintet. Much of their music has a sunny feel that reflects their travels and exposure to other culture’s music. Their debut had an eclectic tropical feel to it whereas their latest effort Sanpaku shows the more mature direction they’ve taken on their original inspiration. “Neutral Currents” has the right balance of Beach Boys-esque reverb and harmonies along with playful Caribbean rhythms that seem to herald sunnier times ahead. - KEXP

"It’s a jangly sort of surf, with harmonic rounds and happy go lucky rhythms, so the line drawn between Yuni and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros would be short. (Harmonies seem to be a theme right now for me.) Ultimately though, what I like about the music more than anything else is that it moves my feet right out from under me. And that I can’t ignore; when my feet talk, I listen" - Sound on the Sound (dot com)

One musical trend that we are a big fan of is the return to the simple songwriting styles of the 60s. Girls have already captivated the blogosphere with their 2009 debut, Album, which featured sun-soaked music inspired by early Beach Boys and psych-rock. Yuni In Taxco are a fresh band out of Seattle that are making catchy, jangly pop music that we can’t get enough of. Although their style definitely reminds us a lot of Girls, they are unique and interesting enough that we can’t help but be entranced by their music. Their latest offering, What Love Will Provide, is a two-track EP. The title-track is a fantastic garage-rock song that has been stuck in my head all morning while the second track Whips slows things down with a synth driven ballad. The EP shows a great amount of talent in the band and the tracks will both appear on a full-length set to release sometime next year.

Last April the band also released a self-titled EP which is a great sampler of the bands talent and style. The EP shows off the bands knowledge of world-music and hints at tropicalia. Songs like King of Borneo offer up interesting percussion and great songwriting. - theup-turn.com

Seattle experimental rock band Yuni in Taxco just put a few new songs on its bandcamp page, and I'm taken with "Whips", which isn't rock at all, but some kind of nightscape drift music. I think what sounds like wooden marimba notes are actually bass guitar notes run through an effect to become more percussive, but I'm not sure. Unintelligible vocals convey a feeling of surrendering to cosmic gobbledygook. Sustained synths hum in the background, with an occasional pinwheel of treble-register notes. In general, a beautiful song, apparently formless but perfectly executed, down to the final, chalky drum beat. - Andrew Matson, Seattle Times

Yuni in Taxco formed not even a year ago, but have already generated plenty of buzz around town with their laid-back, wind-chimed beach rhythms. Several of their songs feature gentle, harmonizing vocals that bring to mind some kind of neo-indie version of the Beach Boys, and on songs like “King of Borneo” some of their Afro-Caribbean influences are flushed to the surface. Whichever resemblances or influences Yuni in Taxco bring to mind, all their songs bespeak lackadaisical, shore-side reverie, and you can practically hear palm trees rustling overhead as they play. - blog.kexp.org

If you were to walk in mid-set, it would feel like you were in the 60s in California on the motherfuckin beach. Twangy surfer riffs consistenty backed with charming harmonized voices. - Seattle in HD

Surf ballads, Spanish guitar and indie rock overtones; Yuni in Taxco combines these sounds to make their own unique and beautiful music. Blossoming in the fall of 2009, they have just released their first EP, self-titled, in April of this year. Cited as being influenced by Beach Boys era psychedelia and Brazil’s Os Mutantes, their first release reflects these choices in nearly every track.

Their songs are great. Similar to Maldives, but with a more Californian sound than country blues, Yuni in Taxco is a great addition to the Seattle music scene. - sea.musicandblog.com

A low-key Thursday at Capitol Hill’s choice Cha Cha lounge proved to be the ideal spot to sit down with local up-and-comers Yuni in Taxco. Amidst the heavily saturated Lucha Libre motif, piñatas and Mexican beer bottle cap décor, the band merely a year old shed some light on their “Yuni”que name and not so signature sound.

After years of admiring each others’ work in various projects, the five consisting of brothers Ross (vocals, guitar) and Bryce (drums), Sean (vocals, guitar), Jim ”the Guru” (bass, slide guitar) and Isaiah (backing vocals, electronics, percussion) found themselves in a collaboration that had Ross proclaiming, “every time we play together it feels refreshing.”

The band name, inspired by a short story penned by Ross about a family friend from his childhood, named Yuni, whom the Beamish brothers described fondly as an “eccentric, free thinking Thai hippie.” The tale follows Yuni on what he “imagined” her adventures to be like coasting along the Acapulco highway spreading her warmth across small Mexican cities such as Taxco. Following Yuni’s lead they sought after a taste of the “exotic” landing in Mexico and becoming “addicted” and enamored by the sounds and culture. This trip became the vehicle that drove them into the studio for their ambitious self titled EP.

Their sound is reminiscent of a time when songs about surfing, cars and girls were filling the airwaves. Beach locations, intricate harmonies and low-fi equipment came together to create an infusion of early Americana and world sounds. Prominent songwriters Sean and Ross contribute different styles ranging from pop catchy hooks to soulful singer/songwriter melodies thoughtfully “glued” together by a diverse rhythm section. Like Yuni on the Acapulco highway, the same sense of spirited abandonment can be found cleverly weaved into their eclectic live show.

Luckily we had the chance to experience this first hand as we headed across the street to enjoy their set at The Comet Tavern. A modest crowd to begin with, swelled and grew more enthusiastic the longer Yuni in Taxco played. Their songs drifted through the space with solid vocals, reverb soaked riffs and nuances of African rhythms. As their set progressed we came to discover that one of the true treasures of this band is Isaiah’s impeccable harmonies, offering a depth of richness not often found in today’s music. This leaves us to believe Yuni in Taxco may be a contender for the perfect soundtrack for summer.

No official date has been set for their full length release; as the boys admit, “we wanted to take our time recording…wait ‘til it’s good, hopefully that’s the idea.” In the meantime, you can graciously download their free EP or catch them live, August 24th at The Tractor Tavern. - seattlescenester.com

More great sounds coming from the Pacific Northwest, this time from Seattle and someone new to us, YUNI IN TAXCO. Early on they’ve grabbed the attention of KEXP (looks like this song was a SOTD there as well), they’ve nabbed ours with “King Of Borneo” and their entire EP that’s available on their Bandcamp page. From what I gather, the band has created their personality from a tale of a storm in Mexico. This song is a cool off-speed pitch, reminding me at times of THE DODOS, part STEELY DAN and you hear some ‘Smile‘-era BEACH BOYS influences. - Future Sounds

Doubly pleased by accidentally stumbling over this band....SSG highlights Yuni in Taxco. Featuring upbeat southern-rock inspired harmonies backed by fluttering guitar riffs and a Latin rhythm section to flourish their otherwise indie rock sound. - Seattle Show Gal

KEXP Song of the Day, July 16th, 2010 - "King of Borneo" by Yuni In Taxco

Today’s offering is of the unclassifiable sort, and that’s alright. Seattle’s Yuni in Taxco seems to draw inspiration from a wide variety of genres including the Beach Boys surf pop, Afro pop, the Latin sounds of Os Mutantes and others, all of which give it an eclectic tropical sound. This song is strangely kind of like Peter Gabriel meets Band of Horses but it works. It also makes me crave a daiquiri and not working which makes it the perfect song to get your weekend started. - blog.kexp.org