Read Yellow

Read Yellow, a four-piece from Amherst, Massachusetts, is a punk band that bursts forth with temperamental energy and vein-bulging spaz-outs both on and off the stage. The passion and sweat pouring out of lead singer Evan Kenney’s screaming vocals are infectious, causing equally heated reactions and jarring body movements to the gruff, but catchy guitar parts from Jesse Vuona, the threatening drum beatings from Paul Koelle, and the looming basslines from Michelle Freivald. Seeing the band live is an experience full of rising temperatures and accelerating speeds.

So when the band stepped on stage at the Mercury Lounge in New York City, it was a special treat to see them start their set differently than usual. They extended the beginning of their first song, “Model America”, one of their catchiest tracks from their debut full length, Radios Burn Faster, and played with the guitar and bass effects—then swiftly kickstarted the song into guitar lines that cut and sliced it into syncopated seizures as Kenney began to throatily shout the politically charged, biting lyrics:

You want answers?
I hear some lovers saying
“Shut out! Shut out! Shut out! Shut out!”
I’ve been the face and the fury of this crippled land

These politicians
They’re just sharpshooters.
Try to watch it but you can’t even focus
your taste.

By these laws we abide
Go let your Cabinet go sleep, then run and hide

Then without pause, the band began playing, “The Art”, a song that showcases Freivald’s more understated female vocals, which contrast perfectly with Kenney’s frantic, guttural shrieks. It was the perfect song to quicken the speed of their set even further. It’s kind of a shame the band doesn’t use the Freivald-Kenney combination more in their songs because their interplay fits together well with her calm and collected tone and his angrier vocal fits. I wanted to also hear “Static” and “Soleil”, more songs from their album that also feature both of their vocals.

All of Read Yellow’s songs have this unsettled tone about them, expressing discomfort with the state of the world, the political bullshit that pervades our media and our country, and a youthful mix of cynicism and optimism that wants to change it, despite all of the seemingly endless obstacles. Songs like “Modern Phobias” talk about our society’s fears and its inability to untangle itself from strong grip of phobias: “For every crash, there’s two more cars / Misled planes that burn the stars / Rocket-powered race cars take the lead / While gas lead men eats his keys / It’s universal / In our backyard.” The lyrics are driven by perilous guitar lines that dig into dark, savage places. There’s also an inherent smart ass awareness to the group’s lyrics, a characteristic you could probably glean from the wordplay in their own band name.

As the night progressed, the band’s set just felt too short. Just as they began to delve in and out of musical conversations about culture, politics and states of fear and unrest, all of a sudden it was over—after a total of six songs. Hopefully next time, they will continue and extend the stabbing dialogue and debate.