Yot Club

With Yot Club’s second full-length, Rufus, Kaiser is expanding his sonic palette and challenging his own established modes of music making by letting collaborators in. And the result is a collection of songs that sounds bolder and brighter. From the shimmering surf-pop of opener “Stuntman,” to the minor chord angst and quiet-loud-quiet pulse of “New Day,” to The Strokesian swoon of album closer “Lazy Eyes,” Kaiser lo-fi hooks have a new cinematic scope.

There’s an economy to Kaiser’s songwriting, a feel-it, sing-it straightforwardness that cuts to the meat of the matter, with his titles often providing the jumping off point, like lead single “Pixel.” With its ticking urgency and cascading guitar line, it was written and recorded in two days with producer Tommy English, and features Kaiser on live, looped drums, with additional slide guitar.

Rufus is not exactly Ryan Kaiser, but these snapshots capture the essence of his experiences: a bad relationship and fresh realizations; leaving it all behind to try and find footing in a shiny new city that maybe isn’t exactly the imagined, mythologized creative utopia. It continues Kaiser’s coming of age — looking back, picking it all apart, trying to work it all out, and constantly pushing forward.