The fantastic “Yosemite Sam” blends ’90s grunge nostalgia with surf-tinged melodic charm, resulting in a winning sound from Los Angeles-based duo Checkerneck. Guitar distortion quickly picks up alongside a murky bass line, with escalating vocals emerging thereafter. 00:48 sees a melodic series of heavy guitar riffs and surf-friendly vocal backing, making for a stylistic synergy that succeeds entirely — especially as the vocals rise while proclaiming “Oh my God they’re trying to kill me (ooooh).” “Yosemite Sam” consumes with confidence.
“Yeah the times themselves kind of dictated this song for us to be first released,” says Andrew Greenup (vocals, guitar, bass). “It brings a certain type of energy. Not only does it showcase our raw alternative sound, but it has this kind of nervous feeling, played upon by the escalating tension of the vocals.” Greenup and Holden Woodward (drums, bass) certainly show a confident, resonating sound here.
““Writing and recording our upcoming album has been challenging, rewarding and a long time coming,” says Woodward, who recorded, mixed and produced the album. “We spent a lot of time in the studio with “Yosemite Sam”, trying to create a form of musical adrenaline by dialing in the high energy of the guitars, bass and drums at its core.”
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“Yosemite Sam” and other memorable tracks from this month can also be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of July 2020’ Spotify playlist.
The track is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Indie Rock.
