Written by Gabrielle Sangataldo
Asbury Park natives, Yawn Mower, doesn’t live up to their name—in the best way possible.
Having taken the Sea.Hear.Now stage on the shores of their hometown in 2023, the band has been gearing up to maintain the big stage momentum with the recent release of their sophomore album, I Just Can’t Wait To Die, on August 15.
We had the opportunity to speak with Yawn Mower’s vocalist and guitarist, Mike Chick, and drummer, Biff Swenson, about this latest record and what they hope fans and newcomers take away from it.
Was there a specific goal you hoped to accomplish when going into the production of the new album (i.e., specific sound, vibes, etc.)?
Biff Swenson: After we performed at Sea.Hear.Now in 2023, our goal was definitely to write more songs that would play well on a large stage like that, well aware that we’d still mostly be playing smaller rooms, dive bars, and basements. But the tracks need to be able to translate regardless of the crowd size. We wanted it to sound even more polished and grand, but also significantly more raw and heavy. We jokingly said we wanted to make our Pinkerton [by Weezer]: a self-produced, weightier sophomore album.
What was the most challenging/surprisingly difficult song to complete off the new album? Conversely, was there a song that came surprisingly easily?
Biff Swenson: For me personally, “$5 & A Handshake” was a workout on drums. If I’m not mistaken, that was definitely the one that took me the longest to track. It’s just constant 16th notes on the hi-hats, and the chorus has a tom part that’s just daunting to make a groove at that tempo. I remember when we were writing it, I made the mistake of being hella flashy and over-playing. Naturally, it was the one time where everyone loved it so much I couldn’t back out. They forced me to stick by the part I jokingly flaunted. Easiest though? I feel like “Windshield Wiper.” Not just from the standpoint of a drummer, but Mike [Chick, vocalist/guitarist of Yawn Mower] brought that fully fleshed out song to the table in the 11th hour, and it instantly clicked as the album opener once we jammed on it as a band.
How did the album’s title come about? What inspired it?
Mike Chick: I was having a conversation with Rudy [Meier, guitarist of Yawn Mower]. We were talking about either a band issue, music scene drama, or the current state of the world, and Rudy responded with “I can’t wait to die.” That was the first time I heard him say it, so I wrote it down and added the “just” later on. When we got to talking about album titles, this came up, and everyone was on board at first, but then said no, then was back on board, until we finally decided it was a keeper. The reaction to the title has been interesting. People are first like, “Whoa, that’s crazy,” but then are quickly like, “Yeah, I totally get it.”
What is something you hope listeners take away from your new album?
Mike Chick: We, as a group, either with Yawn Mower or our solo projects/other bands, try to make music and art that is original but also pays homage to the bands and artists that have inspired us over the years. One gig goer told me once that we sounded like fifteen different bands, but did a good job of not sounding like any one of them too much. That was a big compliment for me. I hope people continue to see that, and I hope people enjoy the lyrics and the sounds we created with I Just Can’t Wait To Die.
What’s next on the horizon for Yawn Mower following the album’s release?
Biff Swenson: We have a record release show at Wonder Bar in Asbury Park on August 30th, which is the kickoff show to an 8-day northeast tour into September, then another 8-day stint out to Chicago in November. We have a few local Jersey gigs throughout the fall, then we’ll likely hibernate this winter to write and/or record another few albums between all of our projects. Start the process all over again. Sleep when you’re dead!
