Yarn Owl | pl

Imagine a band that formed in seclusion, in a small town in southeast Washington state, far from any exclusive, sound-alike music scene. With the freedom to draw upon varied influences while retaining their originality, that band would create a unique sound that stands out among today’s flood of indie bands. Yarn Owl is that band.

After finishing his journey with Band of Horses, former drummer Timothy Meinig decided to leave Seattle and set out on a new path amid the rolling hills of the Palouse. On that road he came across travelers Javier Suarez and Tyler Armour and was inspired to create a new musical outlet that would become Yarn Owl. In order to broaden his own horizons Timothy took to the bass guitar and left the drumming to the talents of Theodore Powers, the band was now complete.

Yarn Owl has evolved greatly from its original cassette release Tiny Dots to its self-released EP Stay Warm and now with the release of the band's first full-length record Montaña y Caballo. While their earlier work certainly displayed Suarez’s gift for pop songwriting, Montaña y Caballo showcases the complexity of his talents. Where Yarn Owl previously has gotten by with only two chords, as on “Yarn Blues,” they now explore mood, texture, and layering with more care and depth than before, at times echoing structural techniques used by a clear sonic influence, Fleet Foxes. Also helping Yarn Owl grow their unique sound has been through the collaboration with other Band of Horses alum, Chris Early (Pearly Gate Music, Gold Leaves, FInal Spins, Grand Hallway) acting as producer and engineer of both Stay Warm and Montaña y Caballo.

Successful risks can be found throughout Montaña y Caballo, an album that will be sure to vault Yarn Owl to the recognition that their talent deserves, and with strong comparisons to bands like Fleet Foxes and Meinig and Early's former group Band of Horses, the band has received attention in print, online and on radio stations like KEXP. So far, other bands have also recognized what Yarn Owl can do, as evidenced by the names they have played shows with: Fruit Bats, The Helio Sequence, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Visqueen, Frog Eyes, Women, Local Natives, Sera Cahoone, and the Grand Archives. And that doesn’t include the many festival bills they have shared with prominent artists across the Pacific Northwest.
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