Q&A with Twin Brother Indie Pop Band – CAYUCAS!

On their last album, Bigfoot, Cayucas debuted in a way that defied their namesake, the sleepy seaside town of Cayucos, CA. As listeners fell in love with its shimmering west coast vibes, Zach Yudin watched his bedroom recording project transform into a band that toured the world almost overnight, all while his songs raced across the radio. But as Zach and his twin brother and bandmate, BenYudin, went in to create what would become their new album, what it all came back to was something more personal. While they now call Los Angeles home, they drew from the nostalgia of their childhood growing up in Davis, CA; the nostalgia in their music that is as much about a place they’ve never been (that maybe no one’s been to) as any actual experience. It was a freedom to imagine, to explore ideas. And it was that wandering imagination and a punchy California dream that eventually grew to become Dancing at the Blue Lagoon.

While their sun-drenched, jangly, sometimes melancholic sound is quintessentially Californian, the album is very much their California. It’s the sound of kids from the suburbs who fantasize in Technicolor, whose view of the Golden State is its own form of idealism. You can hear it loud and clear in the easygoing confidence throughout on the crisp, backbeat-driven “Hella” or as “Moony Eyed Walrus” takes surf guitar into fragmented, unpredictable places. The impossibly catchy and heartbreaking “Backstroke” is a Murakami-inspired detective story, neo- noir that is equal parts stylization and gut-level emotion.

That said, Dancing at the Blue Lagoon is all about a band testing its comfort zone and asking us to do the same. Like the Beach Boys of Sunflower or Surf’s Up, it reminds us that sadness and uncertainty are never far from the surface, even in Cayucas’s most carefree moments. It casts some like the title track “Dancing at the Blue Lagoon”—a lilting tropical fantasia—in an entirely different light.

As the primary songwriter, Zach depends on this kind of versatility.

“I write on a song-by-song basis,” he says. It’s been that way ever since he started taking music more seriously in college. Zach and Ben would “create bands that were more like a musical idea,” record a few songs, and then move on. Cayucas grew out of this period of experimentation.

Like a great actor whose art rings true because of an honest, human streak, Cayucas has taken sound we thought we knew and turned in into something personal and complex.

All Access Music writer, Nicole DeRosa got to catch up with Zach. Read more in their interview below.

Photo by: Dusdin Condren

 

Hi Zach! Where does this interview find you today? What’s on the agenda today besides our interview?

We are in LA, getting ready for rehearsal. Tonight we are playing a secret show, in Santa Ana. Drinking coffee.

For those not as familiar with you and your music, how did you get your start in music? Who or what was the catalyst for two twin brothers to start a band together?

We both decided in college we want to pursue music. We were interested in the industry side but more interested in being in band. So we’ve started writing songs together and created lots of various musical projects all different genres.

You just released your album, DANCING AT THE BLUE LAGOON this year. What did you learn between your last album BIGFOOT and playing live that you felt you wanted to infuse into the new album?

We learned a lot, one of the main things was we wanted to write songs that would translate to a live setting. We were thinking about that a lot more this time around, how we were going to play these on stage.

Can you tell me about your new single and what was the inspiration there?

The inspiration comes from the beaches of Norcal from Big Sur to San Francisco and the Redwoods that roll up to the beaches. The fog coming in in the morning and the imagery that follows. It’s mythical, and spooky so I wrote lyrics that reflected that.

What is your song writing process like? Do you both share songwriting duties?

We both wrote all the songs on piano/ guitar/ bass. I usually spend time editing pieces and forming it into a song. I do all the lyrics as well.

Who are your musical influences?

We try to keep the classics like The Beatles, and The Beach Boys on the forefront. We just listened to McCartney about 2 ,100 times on our way to Vancouver. But other than that too many to name really we listen to everything.

Do you remember the first album you bought for yourself?

Weezer – Blue Album

What was the first song you fell in love with and why?

I remember as a really young kid maybe 10,11 our camp counselor would play that Righteous Brothers song ‘Lost That Loving Feeling’ every morning, and would eventually memorized it and would sing along. I still love that song to this day, very nostalgic.

Photo by: Dusdin Condren

Who would your dream collaboration be with, living or dead?

Joe Meek.

Who is in your current playlist? Any artists, musicians or genres we might be surprised to find in there?

Uhm you may be surprised to see Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry… I am fascinated by certain Top 40 pop songs. I don’t listen to it all the time, just certain songs.

11) What’s on tap next for you? What are you most excited about in 2015?

Next up, we will be touring the U.S. all summer, heading back to cities we haven’t been in awhile, excited to tour and party. Maybe go swimming in interesting places…

 To learn more about CAYUCAS , visit them HERE .