“We’ve been playing together as YellowFever for around five years now. I feel like we kind of have a special musical bond. For some reason, it works – sometimes it doesn’t,” he laughs. “I don’t really know why it works, because musically we come from such different backgrounds. Jennifer has always been into these early ’60s girl group kinds of music – all these really poppy things. I’ve always been into the more experimental side of music. It’s weird.”
This fusion of vastly disparate aspects of the musical spectrum is what has defined their body of work to date, with an almost clinical dissection of melody seemingly being Yellow Fever’s foremost goal. “I’d say that’s what Jennifer sets out to achieve,” Adam explains. “And I’ve just grown to appreciate it. I was always kind of against it, but now I understand why it’s so important. Generally, things I go back to listening to over and over again have a strong melody. I guess it just took me a while to figure that out,” he chuckles. “I think it makes for an interesting, unique sound. I like it.”
Though coming from different musical backgrounds, the writing process strikes a balance between the two creative forces in the band. “It’s either I come up with the music, or Jennifer comes up with the vocal melody and I write the music for that. Or sometimes I write a vocal melody with guitar and she just uses those. It’s a very collaborative process,” Adam explains.
With the band’s history and lineup a little murky – their bio states that their original formation was a four-piece – it seems as though Adam himself isn’t so sure on the fluctuating population of the group. “YellowFever have always been either a three-piece or a two-piece. Originally we were a three-piece, but then we lost a member. So we went straight to being a…” he pauses to recollect. “Ah jeez, I can’t remember,” he laughs. “We went to a two-piece, then we got another member to play guitar and drums – that was great. But we always end up going back to a two-piece. It’s fun that way, and it’s easier to travel. It’s hard to find people that are willing to save up a bunch of money and go on tour to make not much money, and do that over and over again,” he states while releasing a slightly depressing chuckle.
“Being a two-piece helps us create our sound, it helps us write in a simple way. Especially live as a two-piece – I play drums and a keyboard-synth thing, doing bass loops and singing. I kind of have to keep it fairly simple in order to do all those things,” he explains. “And Jennifer has to switch between organ and guitar and this slide-guitar she has. That all forces things to be a little simple, and that’s fine, I guess. Usually when things are simple they’re clearer. If it’s a good idea, I feel that’s the best way to present it.”
After releasing a self-titled LP-length compilation of EPs and singles last year, YellowFever are set to release their proper studio debut in the following months. “We had a couple EPs, a self-titled one and one called Cats And Rats, and a seven-inch as well. [Yellowfever] is kind of the best from those three releases. Our friends in New York, Vivian Girls, have a small record label and they put it out,” he recalls. “Now we have a full-length recorded, we’re just in the process of figuring out who’s going to put it out. I’m guessing it will be out early fall, or your guys’ spring.”
