Yumi Zouma are a New Zealand alternative pop band from Christchurch, Canter… Read Full Bio ↴Yumi Zouma are a New Zealand alternative pop band from Christchurch, Canterbury. The band consists of Christie Simpson (vocals, keyboards), Josh Burgess (guitar, bass guitar, vocals, keyboards), Charlie Ryder (guitar, bass guitar, keyboards), and Olivia Campion (drums). The band's name is an amalgamation of the two friends that encouraged the group to start writing together.

The group's origins trace back to their history of playing concerts together in Christchurch. However, the band did not begin writing music together until multiple members moved abroad and began collaborating over email following the events of the Christchurch earthquake. This early material gained attention within the musical blogosphere and encouraged American label Cascine to sign the band before they had played live or held a band practice.

Between 2014 and 2015, the group released two EPs (EP I, EP II). The band's debut album Yoncalla was released in 2016, including the singles "Keep It Close To Me" and "Barricade (Matter Of Fact)". In 2017, the band released their second album, Willowbank, and the singles "December", "Depths (Pt. I)", and "Half Hour". EP III was released in 2018, including the singles "In Camera" and "Crush (It's Late Just Stay)". In 2020, the band signed to labels Polyvinyl Record Co. and Inertia Music, and released their third album Truth or Consequences, which featured the singles "Right Track / Wrong Man", "Cool For A Second", "Southwark", "Lonely After", and "Sage".

Founded by Burgess, Ryder, and vocalist Kim Pflaum, the group began writing music using file-sharing services when Burgess left New Zealand to work at New York-based record label Captured Tracks. The band's first release, EP I, debuted in early 2014, after the single A Long Walk Home For Parted Lovers appeared on several blogs before being quickly taken down. The band was positively reviewed by Pitchfork and profiled by The Guardian, leading to the group signing with Brooklyn-based record label Cascine. In mid-2014, the band began playing live, touring with singer Lorde, and collaborating with other acts, such as the Swedish band Air France. Guitarist Sam Perry[ and vocalist Christie Simpson joined the group in 2015, while Pflaum left and started the solo project Madeira (later renamed Laumė). The band released a second EP, EP II, in early 2015, and proceeded to tour extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, with the likes of Jamie xx and Lower Dens.

The band quickly released their first full-length album, Yoncalla, the following year. As opposed to the long-distance writing of the band's earlier releases, Yoncalla consisted of material that had been finished during tours for EP II. The majority of the album's final material was recorded in Paris, France, following an American tour that stopped by the city of Yoncalla, Oregon. The band produced the album at electronic musician Philippe Zdar's Motorbass studio in Paris, enabling them to achieve a sound more akin to classic synth-pop than their previous records.

After a year of heavy touring in support of Yoncalla, the band traveled home to record in New Zealand for the first time. A limited edition cover of the Oasis album (What's The Story) Morning Glory? was distributed on vinyl in early 2017, before the release of the band's second album, Willowbank, in October. The sessions for Willowbank marked the first time that the group had worked together in a professional studio, with the band initially questioning whether they should "all move into separate rooms" to recreate the remote songwriting process from previous records. However, the sessions allowed for stronger collaboration and more organic instrumentation compared to earlier material, leading to jazz musician Olivia Campion joining the band as a live drummer. The lead single "Depths (Pt. I)" became a success on streaming platforms, and was accompanied by a video created by illustrator Frances Haszard. Following the completion of touring for Willowbank, Perry left the band in order to concentrate on his Serbia-based musical project DOG Power.

In wake of the departure of Perry, the remaining four members of the band proceeded to return to the methods of long-distance writing that had inspired their earlier material. This process led to the creation of a third EP, released in October 2018. A video for the lead single "In Camera" was released in early 2019, directed by Pavel Brenner. A video for the second single "Crush (It's Late, Just Stay)" was also released in 2019, directed by Robbie Barnett.

After signing to Polyvinyl and Inertia Records, Yumi Zouma released their third studio album Truth or Consequences on March 13, 2020. The album features the singles "Right Track / Wrong Man", "Cool For A Second", "Southwark", "Lonely After", and "Sage". Along with the album, Yumi Zouma is set to release a unique line of merchandise which includes a candle, bandana, and enamel pin. The band announced a reimagined edition of the album named Truth or Consequences - Alternate Versions, which was released in October 2020.

On March 18, 2022, their fourth full-length release Present Tense was recorded remotely with some in-studio sessions in Los Angeles, London, Florence, New York, and New Zealand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alena
Yumi Zouma Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Meet farway back whenever
And now we've just been cruising with a ton of clothes
And we'll meet up with whoever
Cuz the truth is we hardly know
Tick in the wind, it's our gift
Put in the chocolate and back to you
Seein' in my eyes, I see it all the time
Give me all the trust, never enough for you

Close in(Now's the time?) time, when you can let your comfort go
And let your worries take control
Don't put us down I can feel my hope is fading
Streets is filling with the tense in you With you we're moving together
And you, the slip in the wait till forever
()
Come over here and dance with me It's true, we're doomed to never see ...
But winter seemed an endless stream
But I love when we bring stuff together
Come over here and talk to me

It's true, we're doomed to never see)...
But winter seemed an endless stream But I love when we bring stuff back together

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Yumi Zouma's song "Alena" are somewhat cryptic, and they can be interpreted in different ways. However, the general theme seems to be about a relationship that is both fleeting and enduring, both joyful and melancholic. The opening lines, “Meet farway back whenever / And now we've just been cruising with a ton of clothes," suggest that the singer is reflecting on a past encounter that may have been brief but left a lasting impression. The second line may refer to the baggage or the physical and psychological souvenirs that they carry with them.

The next line, "And we'll meet up with whoever / Cuz the truth is we hardly know," suggests that the singer is embracing a sense of impermanence and open-endedness in their relationships, perhaps because of their itinerant lifestyle. However, they also seem to be seeking connection and meaningful interactions, symbolized by the phrase "Give me all the trust, never enough for you."

The chorus revolves around the idea of bringing things together, whether it is dancing, talking, or "stuff." The phrase "But winter seemed an endless stream" may be a metaphor for a difficult period in their lives that they have overcome, or it could be an allusion to their wanderlust and the transitory nature of their affairs. Overall, "Alena" is a wistful and dreamy ode to connection and the fleetingness of life.

Line by Line Meaning

Meet farway back whenever
Let's reconnect with our past

And now we've just been cruising with a ton of clothes
We've been moving around with a lot of baggage, both physical and emotional

And we'll meet up with whoever
We'll connect with whoever is around us, despite not really knowing them well enough

Cuz the truth is we hardly know
We don't really know each other that well, even though we've been hanging out lately

Tick in the wind, it's our gift
Our time is fleeting and we should make the most of it

Put in the chocolate and back to you
Let's share something sweet and come back to the present moment

Seein' in my eyes, I see it all the time
I have a constant vision of us being together

Give me all the trust, never enough for you
I need your trust, but I'm not sure if it's enough for you

Close in(Now's the time?) time, when you can let your comfort go
Now is the time to let go of our fears and step out of our comfort zones

And let your worries take control
We should allow our worries to take hold and guide us in the right direction

Don't put us down I can feel my hope is fading
Please don't bring us down, my hope is slowly fading away

Streets is filling with the tense in you With you we're moving together
I sense that you're nervous, but we're in this together

And you, the slip in the wait till forever
You're my missing puzzle piece, the one who I've been waiting for until forever

() Come over here and dance with me It's true, we're doomed to never see...
Let's dance and enjoy the moment, even though we know it won't last

But winter seemed an endless stream But I love when we bring stuff together
It feels like winter will never end, but I love how we come together and make things work

Come over here and talk to me It's true, we're doomed to never see...
Let's have a conversation and be honest, even though we know it won't last

But winter seemed an endless stream But I love when we bring stuff back together
It feels like winter will never end, but I love how we come together and make things work

Contributed by Aaron T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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