Fast, Fuzzy Punk Tunes
The Yuuzhan Vong go big and loud on new effort
The Yuuzhan Vong – a new Eau Claire-based band comprised of Mitch Smuhl (lead vocals/guitar), Jon Buxton (vocals/bass), and Morgan McCandless (vocals/drums) – make music that does not fit cleanly into just one particular box. Their tunes are fast, fuzzy, raucous, and they exist somewhere in between the margins of traditional and easily definable genres.
Their Facebook page classifies them as “post-hardcore” and “grunge-punk,” but neither of those descriptors perfectly or succinctly conveys the kind of music this three-piece makes. This is, however, probably about as close as it’s going to get for a band that defies easy classification.
Their sound has a discernible foundation in a lot of the best alternative music of the ’90s, blending college rock, punk, grunge, and garage rock (think Pixies, Jawbreaker, Nirvana, and The Vines all rolled into one). Smuhl said their approach to songwriting is mostly free-spirited and lively.
“Basically it’s like ‘Hey, I have this riff!’ and then we pile it on,” he said. “Some of the lyrics are a little heavy-hearted, but overall the vibe we want is just for people to hear three guys having fun.”
In a bigger city, they might have a few bands with a pretty similar style to play with, but an interesting challenge in Eau Claire is that they are more or less on their own. What this means for The Yuuzhan Vong (named for a vicious alien race from the expanded Star Wars universe mythology) is that even though they’re not a metal band they play heavy enough tunes to get booked on local metal shows. The band sort of floats between scenes and genres without fully belonging to one or the other.
“It’s a blessing and a curse. It sets us apart on these shows and maybe makes us a little more memorable because – for better or worse – we stick out,” Smuhl said. “At the same time, though, it can sometimes be hard to feel really great about a show because even though the metal and punk scenes have been very welcoming to us – both in terms of the other bands and the fans – we’re not necessarily playing the kind of music people go to those shows to see.”
That’s why the guys in The Yuuzhan Vong are excited to be releasing their first album, Reflected Through Cataracts, this month. The hope is that with their music out in the world (they’ll be releasing the eight-song album both online and on CD) they’ll be able to find their niche and make some new fans. At the end of the day, though, it’s clear that these three are mostly just excited to be doing something they love in a city they love.
“Of course a big ambition with the CD is that it’ll help us get to play shows to a few more people who are really into what we do,” Smuhl said. “Mostly, though, we just want to get out there, travel, meet new bands, and play our songs for anyone and everyone. Eau Claire is awesome and it feels good to be some of the people out here trying to do something.”
The Yuuzhan Vong official album release show is Feb. 26 at the House of Rock with Arms Aloft, Pets With People Names, and Half Empty Glass. Reflected Through Cataracts will also be available for download via Bandcamp.
