Ones2Watch Home

Photo by @kaaysphotos

Atlanta-based shoegaze band, yearn, is known for their emotionally charged sound that blurs the boundaries between aggression and beauty. drawing heavy influence from visual kei, noise, and j-rock. Their self-titled debut EP feels both overwhelming and intimate, presenting walls of sound with melodic fragments and raw emotional release. We reached out to the band to get the track-by-track breakdown of the EP in their words. Read on for the scoop: 

"silently and from a distance" was written from the perspective of someone who longs to revisit a moment of tenderness from another time. It's about remembering the small things, conversations that seemed insignificant at the time, shared moments, familiar habits and wondering whether the person you once knew is still the same person today. In many ways, it's less about wanting someone back and more about wanting to step into a memory one last time.

“I want u to know” leans a little more into a pop structure and a brighter sound, but it comes from a pretty personal place. It was inspired by a dream I used to have about someone who was once very important to me. They would show up quite often, but now it only happens every now and then. In these dreams we’d catch up, talk about how life was going, and reflect on how much we’ve both changed and grown as people. Waking up afterwards always leaves me with a strange feeling for the rest of the day. it’s a little sad, a little comforting, and hard to explain. More than anything, though, the song comes from a place of wishing that person well and hoping they’re happy, wherever life has taken them. It’s about those connections that stay with you, even when they’re no longer part of your everyday life.

"dazed" came from reflecting on a relationship where I felt like I was the only one trying to keep things alive. No matter how much effort I put in, nothing changed, and eventually there wasn't much left to hold onto. I still remembered the moments when things were good, the tenderness, the closeness, the feeling of being cared for.. but those moments had long since disappeared. Rather than longing for what was lost, the song is driven by frustration and resentment, by the realization that some things end because only one person was willing to fight for the both of them.

“die 4 me” started with the idea of writing something fast paced and energetic, but with a story that had a bit more emotional weight behind it. The song follows a conflict to resolution timeline, centering around the uncertainty that can come with a close friendship or relationship and not knowing what the right answer is. A lot of the lyrics come from that feeling of overthinking and questioning things, before eventually arriving at a simple resolution. wanting to spend more time with someone, enjoying the little moments together, and making up your mind about what really matters. I wanted the song to be fun and exciting to listen to while still carrying some emotional depth underneath all the energy.

"walpurgis nacht" is about two people who never quite understand each other but continue to gravitate toward one another regardless. No matter how many times they clash or fail to see eye to eye, they remain caught in the same cycle of chasing and being chased. I imagined both people carrying the same thought, “if only you could see things the way I do”. The song sits in that constant push and pull, where neither side is willing or able to bridge the gap between them.

"hair" is about the small things that linger after someone is gone, and how something as simple as a scent can bring years of memories rushing back. There are moments where I wonder what would happen if I reached out, or if we could ever reconnect, but I ultimately choose to leave those thoughts alone. Time passes, people change, and the thread connecting us grows thinner with each year. Even so, I can still feel that connection from time to time. I don't know when, or if, that feeling will ever completely disappear. Every now and then, something reminds me of them.. a scent, a familiar feeling, a passing memory; and for a brief moment of time, it all comes rushing back.