Yaeji will release her debut album on XL Recordings.
Dreamt up across New York, London, and Seoul, With A Hammer is a 13-track full-length that blends Yaeji’s original dance music roots with Korean indie rock, electronica, and pop from the ‘90s and early 2000s.
Conceptually, it follows her as she “wades through the murkiness of sorrow and doubt” and releases a “frenzy of anger,” with the help of a metaphorical hammer which she wields to smash the rigid rules, expectations, and barriers that have prevented her from speaking her fullest truth, we’re told.
Yaeji enlisted some close friends to join her on the record, including British musician Loraine James, Baltimore singer Nourished By Time, plus New York producers K Wata and Enayet.
Born in Flushing, Queens in 1993, Yaeji has roots in Seoul, Tokyo, Atlanta, and New York, all serving as the backdrop for a sound that synthesizes influences of Korean indie rock and electronica, late ‘90s, and early 2000s hip-hop and R&B, and left-field bass and techno.
After breaking out with her 2017 debut EPs that featured singles “Raingurl” and “Drink I’m Sippin On,” Yaeji featured on Charli XCX’s 2019 album, Charli, and produced remixes for Dua Lipa and Robyn. In 2020, she released WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔.
Ahead of the release, Yaeji has shared “For Granted,” which arrives with a music video directed by and starring Yaeji herself.
Tracklisting
01. Submerge FM
02. For Granted
03. Fever
04. Passed Me By
05. With A Hammer
06. I’ll Remember For Me, I’ll Remember For You
07. Done (Let’s Get It)
08. Ready Or Not
09. Michin
10. Away X5
11. Happy
12. 1 Thing To Smash
13. Be Alone In This
With A Hammer LP is scheduled for April 7 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “For Granted” below and pre-order here.
