What does The Yacht Club sound like?

Jangly indie rock with an emo undercurrent made in math class.

The review of ‘I Don’t Think That I Am Ready To Be Without You’ by The Yacht Club

London-based rock band The Yacht Club have a playful approach to their music. With their new EP, the quartet embraces a clean and direct production of their sound and enjoys adding math rock squiggles and flair to the emo revival they’d like to enact. This results in a fine EP that keeps your ears interested in every beat in the bar.

photo of The Yacht Club — The Yacht Club

Key to this is the deeply intricate guitar work. On the lead single ‘Displaced Love’, various guitars are twinkling mini riffs on the edges of the sound. The overarching sound is clean and direct but its a layer cake of sound that brings cohesion. Add in sympathetic vocals you’d expect from indie pop greatness, emotional chants and a softer side to the track where instruments bleed out into distant reverb and you have a classic. The track follows pacey opener ‘Stumbling’ where snazzy math-rock where the guitars shiver and sizzle like springs in between gliding and epic summery sadness choruses.

After two bangers, ‘Rain’ brings The Yacht Club to ballad territory. The guitar noodling is akin to weaving a tapestry of emotions between bursts of heavier rock. It is incredibly smooth and virtuoso-like without sounding like they are showing off. Whilst I’ve waxed lyrical around the guitar work, the percussion and bass are equally dynamic and bombastic. One of The Yacht Club’s strengths is their ability to switch from big moments to intimate sections gracefully. You don’t often hear emo and graceful in the same musical description but this is how The Yacht Club approach their music. It gives a unique flow to their songs.

‘Turn’ brings some acoustic indie folk flair to the EP. The fast-flowing arpeggiating acoustic guitar is underscored with warm bass and soft malleted drums to sell the mood. The song sounds like sunset and the vulnerable and shaky vocal delivery, devoid of reverb when every other instrument is softly recorded ensures the track feels earnest. The track is about carrying on without someone and needing guidance and everything about this track conveys the vulnerability of taking the first steps of moving on after a loved one’s death. After two slower tracks, ‘Frogger’ returns us to the bigger rockier numbers that opened the EP. The crazy hillbilly riffs locked in a dramatic emo-lite song structure add a playful edge to a drum-rolling, power-chord-chugging big finale.

The Yacht Club has a unique sound. They place vulnerability and skittish guitar riffs front and centre in their song design but use clever production to make the instrumental gymnastics sound approachable. Sometimes math-rock can come across like an overwhelming blaze of fingers but here, everything is neatly packaged. Whilst some may yearn for a muddier production overall, The Yacht Club stands out for me by leading with grace and elegance in their rock songs. A hidden gem.

Recommended track: Displaced Love

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