Yeah Yeah Yeahs (EP)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
A close-up of a woman from her mouth to her shoulders, wearing a golden necklace that reads "Master" in all uppercase letters
EP by
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
ReleasedJuly 9, 2001
Genre
Length13:52
Label
Producer
  • Jerry Teel
  • Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs chronology
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
(2001) 		Machine
(2002)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs is the debut extended play (EP) by the American indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It was self-released on July 9, 2001, and reissued in 2002 by Wichita in the United Kingdom and Touch and Go in the United States. It was recorded as a demo over two days in early 2001 with producer Jerry Teel, and developed into their debut EP to land more shows. Yeah Yeah Yeahs features the band's early garage rock and art punk influences, and lead singer and lyricist Karen O's themes of romance, sex and humor.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs topped the UK Indie Chart and had sold over 71,000 copies by the end of the decade. It was praised by critics for its unique sound and Karen O's performances, and named among the best releases of 2002 by The New York Times and NME. In 2024, Paste placed it among the 100 greatest EPs of all time.

Background and recording

A woman and two men performing at a music event.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs performing at Coachella in 2006. From left to right: Karen O, Brian Chase and Nick Zinner.

In 2000, singer/songwriter Karen O and guitarist Nick Zinner formed the duo Unitard. They changed their name that year to Yeah Yeah Yeahs and added drummer Brian Chase to the lineup, forming a trio.[1] By early 2001, the band earned a following for their live performances.[2] During this period, they enlisted Jerry Teel, a former guitarist for the punk rock band Boss Hog, to co-produce a demo that was developed into their debut EP.[3] Zinner explained in an interview that "Our first EP was recorded as a demo, so we could get shows at cool clubs opening up for bigger bands. That was literally our aspiration."[4]

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP was recorded across two days with Teel at Avenue B's Funhouse Recording Studio,[5] which doubled as their rehearsal space. It was mastered by Chuck Scott at Soundoptik in New York City.[3] The artwork and packaging were designed by the band and Crispin.[6] The front cover contains a close-up of a topless Karen O, while the back cover features three different self-photographs of her, Zinner and Chase.[6] Although the EP is self-titled, it is sometimes mistitled as Master due to the necklace Karen O wears on the cover, or as Bang after its opening track.[5][7]

Music and lyrics

Karen O wrote the lyrics for the EP's five tracks, while the band co-wrote the music.[8] They aimed to capture the "trashy, punky, [and] grimy" sound they observed in the contemporary Ohio music scene, and the "cocky attitude" they had while performing.[9][10] Karen O's staccato vocals became a focal point of the EP,[10] though she described her singing as sounding "really, really, really sloshed."[11] The band were significantly influenced by the dance-punk band ESG, whose sound they attempted to recreate "with guitar instead of bass."[12] Other influences on the record were the rock bands Blondie, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and Tommy James and the Shondells.[13]

The opening track, "Bang", was inspired by Karen O's sexual dissatisfaction with a former boyfriend, emphasized by the repeated lyric "As a fuck, son, you sucked!"[7][14] "Mystery Girl" was co-written with guitarist Jack Martin and depicts a sexually promiscuous woman.[15][16] The lyrics of the critically praised "Art Star" satirize jet-set culture and the art world.[17][18] It is the only Yeah Yeah Yeahs song to feature a spoken word introduction and screaming vocals.[19] "Miles Away" concerns a woman who, as said in the song, has "hurt fewer people in a better world".[19] The closing track, "Our Time", was originally titled "Year to Be Hated" and one of the first songs Karen O ever wrote.[8] It is an anthem about a nearly failed romance, which gained resonance for New Yorkers after the September 11 attacks.[18][20]

Release

The band self-released Yeah Yeah Yeahs on July 9, 2001, through their Shifty label,[6] and received little attention on release. They did not intend for any success,[3][4] though they gained some exposure later that year after Albert Hammond Jr. of the Strokes wore their pin during a performance on Saturday Night Live.[5]

Wichita Recordings co-founder Mark Bowen was impressed after hearing "Bang", and was surprised to see that the band had yet to sign with a record label. According to Bowen, "We flew to America and saw them play fourth on the bill to Arab on Radar; Karen O was already a superstar in every way."[21] He then offered them distribution of the EP in the United Kingdom in 2002.[22] Touch and Go Records reissued it in the United States in July 2002, after seeing a high-profile concert at South by Southwest earlier that year.[23][24][25]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[26]
BlenderStarStarStarStar[27]
Pitchfork7.0/10[16]
Rolling StoneStarStarStar[2]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStarStar[20]
StylusC+[28]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs was received favorably and became a sleeper hit, selling over 71,000 copies in the United States by the end of the decade.[29] It topped the UK Indie Chart,[30] and reached number nine on the Australia Hitseekers Chart,[31] number seven on the Danish Singles Chart,[32] and number 56 on the Swedish Singles Chart.[33] Both The New York Times and NME placed the EP among the best releases of 2002, with NME awarding it second-best,[34][35] while The Village Voice placed it at number 40 on their Pazz & Jop poll.[36]

Critics generally praised the EP's sound; AllMusic described it as one of the most innovative releases of the 2000s garage rock revival at the time,[26] while journalist Everett True wrote that it captured the spirit of rock n' roll.[10] Karen O's performances were especially praised, with writers for Blender and CMJ describing her vocals as "hot and sexy".[13][27] Some critics noted that its low-fi sytle and production limited its commercial potential,[2] while a Stylus writer described three of its five tracks as "unremarkable".[28] Pitchfork noted early skepticism surrounding the rock movement but concluded that the EP demonstrated a "sharp survey" of the band's capabilities.[16]

In the 2004 edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide, the critic Sasha Frere-Jones awarded the EP four stars, writing that the band "instantly made their case for good-old-fashioned attitude"; the EP scored higher than their acclaimed debut album, Fever to Tell.[20] In 2016, Under the Radar said it was one of 2001's best albums and essential to both the band's success and the contemporary New York music scene.[37] In 2024, Paste placed it at number 42 on their list of the "100 Greatest EPs of All Time", writing that it bested the early works of some contemporaries.[38]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, except "Mystery Girl", written by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Jack Martin.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Bang"3:09
2."Mystery Girl"2:57
3."Art Star"2:00
4."Miles Away"2:20
5."Our Time"3:23
Total length:13:52

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs.[6]

Charts

Chart performance for Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Chart (2001–2007) Peak
position
Australia Hitseekers (ARIA)[31] 9
Danish Singles (Tracklisten)[32] 7
Swedish Singles (Sverigetopplistan)[33] 56
UK Indie Chart (OCC)[30] 1

References

Citations

  1. ^ Brazeal, Anne (September 8, 2014). "Original buzz: Yeah Yeah Yeahs". The Fader. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Sheffield, Rob (July 16, 2002). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c Goodman 2017, p. 229.
  4. ^ a b "Yeah Yeah Yeahs on love songs, New York and transforming on stage". NPR. April 14, 2013. Archived from the original on August 15, 2025. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". Clash. January 5, 2006. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d Yeah Yeah Yeahs (CD liner notes). Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Shifty. 2001. SH05.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (July 9, 2021). "The Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP turns 20". Stereogum. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  8. ^ a b Rogers, Jude (March 14, 2019). "'I just wanted to write a love song that stands the test of time': Karen O on her best work". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 23, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  9. ^ Hanley, Lynsey (February 26, 2006). "Affirmative action". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  10. ^ a b c True, Everett (2002). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". Careless Talk Costs Lives. No. 9. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2026 – via Collapse Board.
  11. ^ Berman, Stuart (August 16, 2003). "A conversation with Karen O, Nick Zinner, and Brian Chase of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs". Eye Weekly. p. 23.
  12. ^ O, Karen (August 29, 2014). "Karen O: soundtrack of my life". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 31, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  13. ^ a b Santangelo, Antonia (July 8, 2002). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Report. Vol. 72, no. 770. CMJ. p. 12. ISSN 0890-0795. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  14. ^ True, Everett (August 2002). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs FAQ". BB Gun. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2026 – via Collapse Board.
  15. ^ DeVille, Chris (September 24, 2020). "Watch Yeah Yeah Yeahs play "Our Time" at their first show, 20 years ago today". Stereogum. Archived from the original on August 15, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2026. Jack Martin for being our guest guitarist!
  16. ^ a b c Dahlen, Chris (July 3, 2002). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  17. ^ Kane, Tyler (April 16, 2013). "The 10 best Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs". Paste. Archived from the original on August 6, 2025. Retrieved April 19, 2026. "Art Star" was the outlying track that proved a lurking, yet-to-be-seen quirkiness—and how they willing the trio was to hop to polarized ends of the musical spectrum.
  18. ^ a b Frere-Jones, Sasha (February 6, 2006). "Positive attitude". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  19. ^ a b Gray, Julia (June 1, 2018). "The 10 best Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs". Stereogum. Archived from the original on January 11, 2026. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  20. ^ a b c Frere-Jones, Sasha (2004). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 894. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  21. ^ Bowen, Mark (July 9, 2010). "Ten years of Wichita Recordings". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 9, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  22. ^ Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Vinyl liner notes). Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Wichita Recordings. 2002. WEBB029T.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". touchandgorecords.com. Touch and Go Records. Archived from the original on February 8, 2026. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
  24. ^ Goodman 2017, p. 236.
  25. ^ Goodman 2017, p. 245.
  26. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Yeah Yeah Yeahs". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  27. ^ a b Kemp, Rob (July 9, 2002). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". Blender. Archived from the original on May 23, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  28. ^ a b Deschermeier, Kurt (September 1, 2003). "Master". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on November 12, 2006. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  29. ^ "Economic downturn claims Chicago indie label". February 21, 2009. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017 – via uk.reuters.com.
  30. ^ a b "Chart Log UK: Rachael Yamagata – Malik Yusef". Zobbel.de. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  31. ^ a b "ARIA Report: Issue 868" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  32. ^ a b "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". danishcharts.dk. Archived from the original on April 15, 2026. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  33. ^ a b "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  34. ^ Pareles, Jon (December 29, 2002). "Music: The year in review, the critics/the 10 best albums; somber anthems, loose-limbed funk". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  35. ^ "NME's best albums and tracks of 2002". NME. October 10, 2016. Archived from the original on January 24, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  36. ^ Christgau, Robert (2002). "The 2002 Pazz & Jop critics poll". robertchristgau.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2026. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  37. ^ Berlyant, Matthew (December 29, 2016). "The 15th anniversary: Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Yeah Yeah Yeahs" EP". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  38. ^ "The 100 Greatest EPs of All Time". Paste. September 25, 2024. Archived from the original on January 30, 2026. Retrieved March 6, 2026.

Bibliography

  • Goodman, Lizzy (2017). Meet Me in the Bathroom. Dey Street Books. ISBN 978-0-06-223309-7.
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