Yeah Yeah Yeahs

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Yeah Yeah Yeahs is an American indie rock band that formed in New York in 2000. The singer Karen O and the guitarist Nick Zinner began as an acoustic duo under the name Unitard and changed that name to Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They chose a messy, punk-like sound. A day before a gig supporting The White Stripes, Karen O brought in the drummer Brian Chase, because she did not want a drum machine live. He stayed, and so the group became a trio without a bassist.

Music and breakthrough

In 2001 their first EP appeared on their own label Shifty. They financed the debut album Fever to Tell, from 2003, themselves, because major labels would not give them creative freedom. Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio became co-producer. From the album came Maps, their best-known song. Show Your Bones followed in 2006, It's Blitz! in 2009, Mosquito in 2013 and Cool It Down in 2022. The sound developed from raw garage rock into more electronic, danceable pop.

Influence

The group belongs to the rock revival of the early 2000s, in which garage rock and post-punk returned. Karen O was known for her bubbling live performances and her voice, which could go from whispering to screaming. Rolling Stone places Fever to Tell and Maps on its lists of the best albums and songs of all time.

Listening

• 
  Maps · Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 2003
  Apple Music ↗

Discography

Studio albums

• 2003Fever to Tell
• 2006Show Your Bones
• 2009It’s Blitz!
• 2013Mosquito
• 2022Cool It Down

Mentioned in other articles

• Garage rock revival GenreMore bands with 'The' in their name followed, such as The Hives from Sweden and The Vines from Australia, and then the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

See also

• It’s Blitz!
• Garage rock revival