Yumi

Yumi's guitarist Anvea talks about their past, future and specifically their recent LP "Epoch".

"We are a 5 piece screamo band from Singapore. I am Anvea, I play the guitar. Mimi is on vocals. Darell plays bass and sometimes sings too. Farhan is the youngest in the band and plays the second guitar. And lastly we have Hairil on drums. The name Yumi is derived from the Japanese word which consists of 2 meanings to it - Bow and Beautiful. We played our first show end of 2008 and since then we have done shows and supported tours for bands like Comadre, Heaven in Her Arms, The Saddest Landscape, Rosetta, Rvivr, Reason to Care etc. We did a Malaysia/Singapapore tour with Japanese band Heaven In Her Arms back in 2012 and also a Japan and Taiwan tour respectively in 2014. To date, we have released a CD EP, A split 7” vinyl with Heaven In Her Arms via Transcendence Records/Epidemic Records, our debut full-length “Epicureans” on 12” vinyl via Dog Knights Productions, and finally our latest release 2nd Album “Epoch” on CD and Tape via my label, Lithe Records.

Lets talk about EPOCH. This new album was a game-changer for us. The recording was split into 2 parts between 2015 and 2017 with lineup changes between those 2 years. The first track Lithe Paralogue erupts into aggressive, unrelenting downpour of wrought guitars, crashing drums and throat-scathing vocals followed by Murmur. Our third song, Tenants Of The Weak has a deliberate exhausting sequence to it. It also emphasise on sonic degradation and disintegration, even throughout the album. It was in a way to achieve some kind of closure on our departure from the previous material. I think we try to develop much more variety on how we communicate with sound. The last 4 songs with 1 that is an interlude, gets slower and slightly more solemn towards the end with buildups, off time signatures, rhythms and breaks. I would love to go into details but it will take forever so I’ll stop here. Overall, now that I look back on it, it’s really an angry, sad, and hopeful album, but an honest one. Hence the name EPOCH.

The band pays homage and draws a lot of our influences from past and current bands like Envy, Killie, 3cmTour, Nitro Mega Prayer, Raein, Daitro, Engine Down (hence one of the track title Keeley Davis from our 1st album), Converge, Corrupted etc..

A lot of the lyrics are based off metaphors describing an amalgamation of the state of the world you and I live in as of late; twisted. Not like it isn't happening before but just that it's gotten worse and makes no sense at times. The records we make have been and will always be a reflection of what our lives are like at the time we write them. I guess it’s an album that speaks to everyone.

As we are approaching 2018 in a couple of days, we’ve started writing new songs with the current new line up. And also toying on the idea of touring Europe in the summer. Really looking forward to visiting places we’ve never been before, play at punk/DIY venues and festivals but it’s still in the works.

I guess this is also a good chance to introduce some Singaporean bands; good friends of ours and amazing people as well. Istilah, Forests, Terrible People, Afsa, Astrid, Adhara, Daily Ritual, Calvaire, Paint The Sky Red, Sphaeras, Two Seas, Racoonhead, Bruised Willles, Marijannah, Wormrot, Fluke, Abrasion, Obstacle Upsurge, Amateur Takes Control, Radiant Archery, Tapestry, Grandfist, This Is Atlantis, Subsonic Eye, Cosmic Child, Recover, Lubricant, Systemize Illustrating Noise, Circuit Trip, Schizophrenic Wonderland, Paris In The Making..the list is exhaustive but yeah these are some of the many great bands embracing the Singapore music scene."

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