Finding guiding lights in the night with Yea-Ming & Ryli

Rolling hills, warehouses, homes, and the debut album from Ryli; photographed by Bobby Martinez.

Ryli arrives like a soaring dove heralding the arrival of a sun-beaming solstice, riding down the UV solar ray slides like the descent of Icarus returning to the cradle of charred earth. Presenting the eagerly anticipated album Come and Get Me: Yea-Ming, Rob Good, Luke Robbins & Ian McBrayer provide ample further evidence of the Bay Area's current creative streak of unstoppable proliferation and collaborations. Philosophies of togetherness, extoling the principles and powers of banding together, combining talents to make a sound of serendipity and an impactful synergistic connect that synthesizes styles into airwaves that broadcast near and far.

Come and Get Me fights the fears that keep us anxiously awake afterhours with pursuits toward places of purpose, prosperity, and points of reason. Opening with “Medicine Speed”, Ryli takes the listener on the rollercoaster of the late night thoughts that toss and turn to find a comfort that shines brighter than an electric nightlight. Yea-Ming’s organic, earnest, and iconic delivery in conjunction with Good’s crisp chiming tones, in hand with McBrayer & Robbins rhythm section that altogether ventures into the foray of freakbeat favorites that pioneered the the no waves and new waves all the movements with ‘post’ as the prefix.

The bombastic beauty of "Bad July" is the ultimate summer bummer that swims in the polluted lakes under the warm, golden California sun. Ryli mixes the best of times and worst of times together in potent rocking formula that rages with the sentimentality of art school dodgers bouncing from both sides of the Bay (before the last call for Bart trains at ungodly all too early hours of the evening). The title track steps with a sense of romanticism, holding on to the thought of being swept off your feet in a humble ballroom situated in humble dive on the outskirts of town. Certain elements of surf dynamics can be spotted throughout the record, as in on "Break" that paddles voraciously with mind racing reflections through the freezing chop of the Pacific coastline.

"Silent Colors" is a slow dance that gently applies gallant footwork through the fanatic little undergrounds of the 80s, like the prom scene you always wanted and, of course, never got. "I Think Need You Around" is one of the best things you have heard since the heyday of the Fresh & Onlys, switching it back to twentieth century crooner confessionals on "Downtown" that feels like a misty-eyed night of chartreuse and bargain beer at the Make-Out Room in the Mission.

That spirit lifts up on the big single "Friend Collector" that brings the cheeky snark to rival the put-down pop of beloved, nearly forgotten mod antiheroes with a sound that sounds like the perfect amalgamation of every incredible Bay band spanning decades, decades, and decades of sharp anachronistic synthesis. The penultimate "Careful" gracefully dims the lights with cautionary wisdom in a prayer that enters "Still Night": a pleasantly string plucked paean that manifests a sense of peace and sublime love for all who dwell in our incredibly fragile world. Come and Get Me is the fierce tour de force, mixed with the unabashedly, and unapologetically sentimental record the world has been waiting for. Ryli raises the high tide of the new Bay-wave/'chime tone'-wave to higher notes, higher benchmarks, offering representation of local lore, heroes (past, present, future), and a demonstrably encyclopedic understanding of the assignment that is rock & roll.

Join Yea-Ming after the jump for exclusive meditations on inspirational forces:

Pursuits of peace by Yea Ming

I gotta be honest. I’ve had some trouble finding joy and inspiration with the state of current events. I’ve been on edge for most of my days, but these few things have brought me a little peace in between:

The kindness of strangers

So I’m looking for parking in the Trader Joe’s parking lot, turning into an aisle of cars and I stop my car to let a woman put her shopping cart away in the cart corral. She puts her cart away, starts walking back to her car, turns to me and makes eye contact while simultaneously pointing to her parked car, indicating that she is leaving and that I should take her spot. I nod and smile. As she drives away and I am pulling into her spot, she sends me a gentle wave and a smile on her face and the next thing I know I have tears in my eyes because I am so abruptly moved by the kind gesture. I am able to take a full breath for the first time in awhile.

Cate Le Bon

The cool and strange singing voice of Cate Le Bon soothes my soul, on top of the unique, minimal, sort of post-punk made quiet arrangement of the music. There is something perfectly meditative but not boring about her music.  Experimental, but still accessible. Atonal at times, but always melodic.  She keeps me emotionally as well as cerebrally interested.  Recently, I have been listening to her 2019 album “Reward” on repeat, my favorite song being “Daylight Matters.” I am excited for her upcoming album Michelangelo Dying.

Bayside rollers, Ryli; photographed by Corey Poluk.

W. Kamau Bell

I am one of those people that freeze in times of awfulness. I have difficulty engaging.  I relish in helplessness — not on purpose — that’s just where it goes. My anxiety sky-high. The only thing I feel like I have done recently to help the current particular nightmare close to us is to remind a few vulnerable people in my life to make sure that their papers are somewhere safe that a loved one could retrieve at the appropriate moment. I’m not even sure if this is correct behavior…mostly I feel like I am spreading my paranoia but I think it makes sense to feel paranoid right now. Kamau Bell happened to speak in Berkeley this week. I attended for some selfish guidance and hopefully some distraction. His general kindness, and ally-ness to AAPI and other marginalized groups, as well as his radical education in morality, and his ability to be funny and relatable. He speaks intelligently but not in a way that is above me. I appreciate learning from him. Fascism is here and awful but he reminded me it’s ok to laugh while crying.

Ryli’s debut album Come and Get Me arrives June 27 via Dandy Boy Records.

Cover art courtesy of Yea-Ming.