Photo Credit: Amanda Johnson & David Nanda
Write Up by Hero Magnus
We’re so pumped to premiere the official music video for “The Thrill,” the latest single from Minneapolis band, Yam Haus.
The video begins with a kitschy welcome message as the narrator introduces us to the concept of “the thrill,” which he explains as a “sudden feeling of excitement and pleasure.”
The first verse, “Can you feel it in me / I can feel it in you / we get down to the rhythm of a Saturday night / but we don’t know what to do,” sings Lars Pruitt, the band’s frontman. These lyrics add to the idea behind “The Thrill”; everyone is searching for something different, something real, but how do we get to it?
Throughout the video, we see the band on a variety of amusement park rides: The rollercoaster, the sky-high swings, the old-fashioned cars. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice how not thrilled the band actually is on those rides, robotic almost. In this video, the band is testing out “society’s norm” of what is “thrilling and adventurous.” But, as the narrator says at the beginning of the video, “Yam Haus experiences “the thrill” during every performance, even when they only sell one ticket to their manager.” Meaning, Yam Haus’ thrill doesn’t have to align with what everyone else’s thrill is.
“’The Thrill’ is about the chase – the inescapable human nature we all feel to run after something outside of ourselves to find what we’re looking for. Life is a chase… and it flies by, so buckle up and pay attention. Like an amusement park ride, we will do anything to enjoy a quick moment of exhilaration, and we repeat it again and again. As a band we’re simply inviting you to the show.
– Lars, vocalist for Yam Haus
The concept of “the thrill” is extended as Yam Haus dives into the chorus. “Run to the filcker of the neon signs / streets paint a picture of the chaos in your mind / electric roller coaster ride,” Pruitt continues in one of the most satisfying melodies in recent memory. The musical payoff is enormous and designed to be danced to on repeat. Whatever “The Thrill” is, we’re there.
The key to this song is that it’s the perfect mixture of quirky and good taste. It’s also almost onomatopoeic, as the lyrical imagery of electric neon is reflected in the buzzes, bouncy synthesizers, and video-game noises in the background of the song. Also, huge kudos to band member Zach Beinlich for a very creative bass guitar part. And I’ll keep it a secret, but Yam Haus made a very funny and bold choice at the end of the song, proving again their riskiness and sense of humor as a band.
Yam Haus has only been around for about two whirlwind years. Their first album, Stargazer, established their slick songwriting skills and a clean, poppy production style. Along with the fully produced album came an EP of acoustic singles called the Stargazer Sessions. This year, Yam Haus came out with a single on Mother’s Day called “Mama,” where Pruitt sings plaintively to his mom: “I’d stop the world to be back home with you.”
You can book the band for a Haus Show, which can be hosted anywhere in the world– they’ll come to your house and play a show in an intimate space just for you. Yam Haus also has a thriving vlog channel on YouTube. They’re aggressively positive and very interested in keeping up with their growing audience.
In short, the members of Yam Haus are the straight-A students of pop: clean-cut, well-prepared, endlessly optimistic, mama’s boys.
“We’ve got nothing to prove / nothing to hide / nothing to lose” they sing during one of the verses, and I think this is the perfect explanation for how Yam Haus is so good. They’re unpretentious and ready to take risks. And “The Thrill” is absolutely their best yet.
Check out the exclusive premiere of Yam Haus’ music video for “The Thrill” below!
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