Cabal is the title of the new EP from electro pop/soul group No No Yeah Okay. Consisting of Mark Gage, Christopher Quasius, Colin Plant, and Josh Paynte, the Milwaukee based quartet has a hint of Glass Animals, but infused with a unique EDM sound. They are doing their best to mesh electronic punk and hip hop, their latest evidence of this is Cabal.
The five song EP contains infectious beats and stunning vocals. In my eyes, the rhythm and beats are like a bed and the vocals are delicately laid over them like a sheet. It is soft and powerful at the same time, both fast and slow, “Cabal” is just a mixture of contradictions in the best way. “What Can I Say”, the second song on the EP, is the perfect example of this compelling ability to blend different genres and sounds to create a beautifully sounding record. Their electro pop landscapes are present on every song, just with a dash of a different sound mixed in on each track.
The band had quite a bit to say about the EP.
Similar to our previous EP, ‘Dual’, this project was creatively driven by a narrative thematic. ‘Cabal’ really centers around the concept of identity. Throughout the project, identity takes several forms, either through understanding who you are, having the wrong interpretation of other people, wanting to be with someone so badly that you take on a different identity to appeal to them, and even just wanting to experience the freedom of being able to freely express yourself… for better or worse.Creatively, a theme allows for us to explore different approaches with purpose as opposed to just inventing whatever sounds cool to us. We’re trying to tell a story, whether its obviously stated or more subtly expressed through mood, so having the direction to know what each song is truly about makes our decision making process easier for how we each contribute.The theme trickles down from our songs to every other element of our project. From the album art to our music video for “What Can I Say” to our overlay of projections during live performances, nothing is ever really as it seems. There’s always something to be discovered and reinterpreted. That’s what we worked to accomplish for ‘Cabal’; create a project that has value beyond a single listen because as your personal point of view naturally evolves through the twist and turns of life, your interpretation of the project will too.
Cabal is a perfect project to listen to if you enjoy No No Yeah Okay’s previous work, but we’re down to listen to it with anyone, as there are aspects of it that are highly relatable to most avid music fans.
For more information on No No Yeah Okay you can visit their website at nonoyeahokay.com, and you can listen to their music on their Soundcloud.
