Yumi Zouma are Christie Simpson, Sam Perry, Charlie Ryder, and Joshua Burgess. Since the release of their debut EP in 2014, Yumi Zouma’s evolution has been brisk and organic ¬ having grown up together in Christchurch, New Zealand, the band scattered after school, moving to Auckland, Paris and New York, collaborating over email to create Yumi Zouma’s initial material. However, the intense reception to these early tracks resulted in the group’s first practices taking place on arena stages, as they were asked on tour by Lorde. During a three¬week break in Paris, they set to work on their debut album. Where the previous EPs were created in isolation, capturing the nuances of each member’s life half a world away, the new material was given a singular voice. After a week of mixing in Philippe Zdar’s Motorbass studio, the self¬recorded¬and¬produced Yoncalla was born. “Yumi Zouma has always been an exercise in refining ideas and collaborating,” reflects guitarist Charlie Ryder, “but this was the first time we weren’t limited or protected by distance. With Yoncalla, the process was different, and it can be scary to present raw ideas to your friends ¬ but it’s also great to see songs evolve through the sparks of inspiration that bounce between people in the same room.”

Yumi Zouma’s debut album Yoncalla was released May 27 th on NY label Cascine.