“The eight tracks on the record glitter and shimmer with upbeat, breezy indie-pop, that is packed with lush female harmonies, bubbling bass lines and catchy melodies.” – Mad Mackerel
Pioneer, the upcoming sophomore release from California duo My Little Hum, is a return to the band’s glittery pop sound featuring shimmering guitars, crunchy bubbling bass, catchy melodies and lush female vocal harmony. Inspired by the true pioneer spirit of The album, once again produced and engineered by Allen Clapp (Orange Peels), is due out October 18 on Mystery Lawn Music.
The album’s genesis occurred when Yuri was selected to join an urban design master’s program in New York City. This meant the husband-and-wife team would be living on separate coasts for a while. They used the time well; Yuri studied and wrote lyrics while sleeping on her sister’s couch in the Bronx, Dan sketched out guitar tracks in their Oakland home studio while feeding the cat. Yuri wrote lyrics touching on themes related to her new urban environs including the stunning “November in New York,” a slice of Gotham that she penciled on the roof of the Spitzer School of Architecture between studio classes. She also found inspiration in other forms of daily life, like shuffling back and forth on the 1 subway train (“Subway Song”) and observing young students from all over the world break new ground in urban design and social change (“Terra Firma”).
Soon the duo realized that these pioneering go-getter-types were everywhere: from the memories of the couple’s very own recently-departed but trend-setting fathers (“One of a Kind”, “Runway Lights”) to the industriousness of the worker bees that reside in the couple’s backyard hives (“Don’t Build It Alone”); even the band’s version of a 1980s hit by Christopher Cross plays into the desire to explore unknown places (“Sailing”). Pioneer was written with the assistance of modern-day satellites, as Dan and Yuri transmitted song ideas from the west coast to the east coast then back again for more than a year. My Little Hum decided that this spirit should be relayed on the album’s final track by paying homage to the satellite known for capturing the first images of the moons of Jupiter (“Pioneer 10”). Dan tells the story through his signature atmospheric guitar playing and melodic bass lines, while Yuri chimes in with a mantra-like vocal that brings the album to a sonic close.
Pioneer Track Listing
- One of a Kind
- Don’t Build It Alone
- November in New York
- Runway Lights
- Terra Firma
- Sailing
- Subway Song
- Pioneer 10
About My Little Hum
My Little Hum is the husband and wife duo Yuri Jewett (vocals/keyboards) and Dan Jewett (guitars/bass). Their sophomore album, Pioneer, was produced and engineered by Allen Clapp (Orange Peels) and mastered by Myles Boisen (Tom Waits, Fred Frith) and is being released on Mystery Lawn Music. The album features Bob Vickers (Incredible Vickers Brothers, Orange Peels) on drums, as well as Jonathan Segel (Camper Van Beethoven) on violins. The artwork featured on the cover was created by master illustrator Wayne Brezinka who has done cut-out-style artwork for numerous top-selling albums. The artwork for the single was shot by Dan as he and Yuri waited for the 1 train in New York as dusk illuminated the tracks and sky — Dan got the shot and then dived through the closing doors.
