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.
Us Together
Yumi Zouma Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hidden in my basement for days
Everything is rotten
When you leave and don't stay away
Press in on the silence
We seem like we could have been great
Thinking this is harder
[?] just comes up to my brain
I'm not myself when
I am stuck here with you
And it's a long day
When I cannot be near you
I keep my eyes on the line
All out of time
And when you're not at home
I'm all alone
Maybe this time
I can be there to turn to
Danny's got a vision
Burning through the walls like a dart
Think it's time you told me
What it is you do when you're out
Difficult to pleasure
Tries to come and measure today
Can't say that I noticed
Moving me with hands on my back
I'm not myself when
I am stuck here with you
And it's a long day
When I cannot be near you
I keep my eyes on the line
All out of time
And when you're not at home
I'm all alone
Maybe this time
I can be there to turn to
Please go, please go away
Please keep holding on
Just doesn't make much sense
Things you could never say
Well I've been holding off
You should forget my grief
There's got to be a way
Dance all around in the hope that you touch me
Hoping that you touch me this way
I'm on the fence a relationship is a fear of the sun
Though you're hiding from you, you can take wherever
Just leave to me it's hard to do it alone
I can't believe conversation is a game
Am I talking too much?
Is it me or just us, together?
The song "Us Together" by Yumi Zouma tackles the theme of a complicated love relationship that is on the brink of falling apart. The first stanza suggests that the singer is trying to hide away from their partner by staying in their basement, and the silence between them is suffocating. The line "Thinking this is harder, [?] just comes up to my brain" implies that the singer is struggling to deal with the reality of the situation and is finding it hard to think straight. The second stanza introduces Danny, who seems to have a vision of what needs to be done, but the singer is not clear or sure of what Danny is up to. The line "moving me with hands on my back" suggests that the singer is being pushed or manipulated in a harmful way.
The chorus of the song amplifies the message that the singer is not themselves when with their partner and would rather be alone. The line "Maybe this time I can be there to turn to" denotes that the singer is hopeful that things can be different this time around. However, the bridge and the final stanza reveal that the singer is feeling confused and scared about the future of their relationship. Lines like "Please go, please go away" and "There's got to be a way" indicate that the singer is unsure if they want to continue with the relationship or not.
Line by Line Meaning
All you ever wanted
Everything that you wanted
Hidden in my basement for days
Kept hidden in my basement for a long time
Everything is rotten
Everything is not fine
When you leave and don't stay away
When you leave but don't go far
Press in on the silence
The silence is suffocating
We seem like we could have been great
We could have had a great relationship
Thinking this is harder
This is more difficult than I thought
[?] just comes up to my brain
I can't stop thinking about it
I'm not myself when
I feel different when
I am stuck here with you
I am with you and can't leave
And it's a long day
Time passes slowly
When I cannot be near you
When I can't be close to you
I keep my eyes on the line
I stay focused on my goals
All out of time
I'm running out of time
And when you're not at home
When you're away
I'm all alone
I feel lonely
Maybe this time
Perhaps this time
I can be there to turn to
I can be there to support you
Danny's got a vision
Danny has an idea
Burning through the walls like a dart
Moving quickly and easily through obstacles
Think it's time you told me
I think you should tell me
What it is you do when you're out
What do you do when you're not around?
Difficult to pleasure
Hard to make happy
Tries to come and measure today
Tries to understand and evaluate the present
Can't say that I noticed
I didn't realize or pay attention
Moving me with hands on my back
Touching me and influencing me
Please go, please go away
Please leave
Please keep holding on
Please don't let go
Just doesn't make much sense
It doesn't seem logical
Things you could never say
Things that you can't express
Well I've been holding off
I've been waiting
You should forget my grief
You shouldn't worry about my problems
There's got to be a way
There must be a solution
Dance all around in the hope that you touch me
Move around hoping for physical contact
Hoping that you touch me this way
Hoping for this specific type of touch
I'm on the fence a relationship is a fear of the sun
I'm undecided if a relationship is scary or desirable
Though you're hiding from you, you can take wherever
Even though you're running away from yourself, you can go wherever you want
Just leave to me it's hard to do it alone
It's difficult to do things alone
I can't believe conversation is a game
I can't believe that talking is like playing a game
Am I talking too much?
Am I speaking too frequently?
Is it me or just us, together?
Is our relationship the problem or is it just me?
Contributed by Ava Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.