"Although I didn't write this song, it spoke to me in a way that made me feel as if it was my own story,” Brandon said. “I found myself playing it over and over again in my bedroom, remembering situations that I've been through.”
Check out the video for yourself below.
And while a lot of the childhood imagery in the video is a testament to Orrin's "youthful nature and drive," it's all rooted in a sense of irony. "The track is braggadocious, and while I do not have loads of money, it was cool to act like a baller for a second and flex in a Porsche."
Watch "Switch" below.
From having saved a sex doll who had been "hanging outside the Bowery Electric", to the band's beginnings in the bathroom of their workplace— YAASSS is the raunchy, rowdy, and retro band bringing back glam-rock.
...On second thought, stay away from defining their genre. Go with their Instagram bio, which says, “Did you just assume our genre? We are a falafel rock band from Brooklyn."
So, you guys are all bartenders, and you guys all worked at the same bar?
Uh yeah once upon a time, Matt used to work there. He’s a regular there now.
How did the idea for the band start, were you guys all playing music before?
Yeah, we were just getting fucked up at work, it was getting kind of boring. So, we asked what more can we do together while getting fucked up? We were all in the bathroom together and that was kind of the genesis of it all.
And where did the name come from?
Our friend Austin, it came naturally to him. He named the band, and he put the glitter on the band. Technically we shouldn’t even be having this interview without him.
Who would you reference yourself to in terms of influence?
Bowie, Stooges, Dead Kennedys, and the sounds of sizzling falafels or Hashish.
What’s the songwriting process like? Does it happen back in the bathroom?
Yeah, its pretty organic.
So do you guys have more plans to go on tour?
Yeah, definitely in the springtime, because we’re working on finishing up a record and we’re gonna add a couple more songs and start mastering it. We currently have 8 tracks and one cover.
What song is the cover?
‘Like a Bad Girl Should’ by The Cramps.
Do you guys have an album?
No, more like a collection of singles, this wasn’t meant to be a serious thing and then all of a sudden it became one.
Why wasn’t it supposed to be serious?
We all have bills to pay we really just do this for fun. This is actually the first time we’ve been paid.
I feel like there are not that many glam bands out there right now, but the genre is very much associated with 80s. How do you guys feel like you can do something different, and updated?
It’s less spaceships, falsetto and big crunchy guitars . It’s a little more the Stooges, kind of sleezy.
It seems like you guys are more trying to have fun and do something that inspires you, rather than referencing something that’s trendy .
Exactly, that’s kind of how it worked, we kind of half-assed everything which made it even more magical. It's like a dollar store glitter kind of glam-rock, more punky. Like, you break into your sisters makeup kit, when dad isn’t around to call you a sissy.
Where are you guys from?
Portland, Oregon, New Mexico, Jersey, California, New York, Iran...
Are any of you in any other bands?
One of us plays the organ in the church band every Sunday morning. They actually don't know about this band. That might need to be off the record. (Laughs)
How did the blow up doll get involved?
Cooper met her somewhere, she was hanging outside of the Bowery Electric that night and we saved her.
So, you’re in New York, you have a show tonight, how long you been in the city for?
Like four days.... Pretty much, [we've been on a full tour] cross-country, and all around the world. It’s like twenty-seven shows in total. We did about fourteen shows so far.
What’s it like?
I mean, it’s exciting for the most part. I’m really excited. This is like my sixth tour in general, so like, we just want to keep it going.
Well music is obviously going well, would you say this is technically your first album album? Those lines are so blurred nowadays, it’s hard to distinguish what’s a mixtape, what’s an album.
I don’t even want to say it’s my first album cause that would be a horrible presentation as an album, you feel me? I just say that it’s a mixtape cause those are just like random songs and random thoughts. It has a plot and a theme behind it but it’s not an album. I haven’t dropped an album yet specifically for a reason because I want to like, make sure that my first impression, my first album is the absolute best. That’s why I’m really not fucking labeling it right now. At this point it’s just a compilation of songs that I have. That’s how I look at my projects for the most part.
How did this particular project come about?
Just being mad at the world....And having a shit load of studio time. And doing a lot of drugs. (Laughs)
I feel that, man. So what's the plan for the album whenever it does come out? Do you think that might come next or you just gonna ride this wave and see where it takes you?
Honestly dude, I have no fucking idea. I live life day by day. Whenever they’re ready for the album I think that’s when I’ll actually like release it. I’m not gonna force the situation cause like, with my fans, I don’t force shit on them, you know? When they specifically want a Wifisfuneral album, then I’ll give it to them. I just don’t feel like the time is right right now.
I imagine you already have concepts and shit brewing.
Yeah. I got little ideas here and there for the most part. Nothing that’s too thought out at the moment. We trying to actually build off of this shit right here. I’m thinking about it. I’m in the process.
I don’t know if the is a touchy subject and whether or not I should bring it up, but, the passing of Lil Peep, someone who is around your age group, in your genre, I imagine someone who you had some type of relationship with…
We definitely fucked with each other. He had more of a relationship with Fat Nick. I’m closer to Nick than I was with Peep. But me and Peep fucked with each other, you know what I mean? He was mad cool, humble dude. Always showed love. Just a cool kind hearted kid.
Right, right. Well, as an outsider, for us, the consumers, it’s sad, man. When you got somebody who’s that young, who’s that bright, who's got that kind of upside, it really affects us. What has it been like on the inside as a peer?
I mean, no one knows the type of shit we go through. No one understands that you gotta, like, give up your life. Really. It don’t matter if you’re the biggest superstar or you’re on the rise. Once you’re in this shit, you open that other chapter in your career where you know your self-value, your peers around you know your value, the masses of the world are starting to understand your value as an artist, everything becomes like, everything flips. Everything completely flips. Imagine living a normal ass life, even if you’re selling drugs, or doesn’t matter what you’re doing.
Like, having a routine of what you do every single day and you being okay to fucking go to Walmart or to do this or do that. And now you can’t do any of that shit. And if you do do that shit there’s always a price or a cost that comes with it. You have no privacy. You can’t really sit down with your peers or people in your camp. And I don’t give a fuck what rappers say, any rapper nowadays can’t confidently say this. You can sit around people and feel like you can 100 percent trust them or can just like sit dow and tell them like "I’m fucked about this shit," or whatever, cause people are just deceiving. Everybody just wants something in the end. That’s literally all it is. And that’s all it’s ever gonna be.
I imagine when you first started and things started to really take off, the privacy, or like you said, being able to walk down the street, that wasn’t something you consciously thought about.
No I thought that shit was lit. You know what I mean?
Right. You wanted people to see you.
Yeah. When you want some shit so bad you’ll do anything for anybody to look at you. I thought it was lit going to the mall and hella kids stopping me. But now there will be like forty, fifty people deep wherever I go. It’s not even just on a consumer point, where all your fans and supporters are going up to you. Like, everybody around you turns into a completely different fucking person. And as you said it’s deeper than the physical things like going to the store. It becomes a mental thing. It’s all a mental thing because you don’t know who to trust, you know what I mean?
You start to trust the people you don’t know more than the people you actually do know. You’re more gullible to shit because the people around you are on some other shit. And as a musician you have the best outlet to actually get that shit out when you can’t talk it out with other people.
But when the music isn’t enough, and you’ve talked about this in the past, that’s when people turn to drugs and shit. What’s your relationship like with that now after what happened?
Personally I already had my own scares. I almost overdosed like three times already. So when I saw Peep died I was like ‘that’s crazy, bro,’ cause I’ve been in that situation myself so many times. And it’s not even that it scares me it just shows you bro like, anything dude. Fuck drugs, bruh. Like anything.
And is that kinda why you talk about taking it one day at a time and not thinking about it all too much?
I feel like that’s what everybody needs to do. Just take it one day at a fucking time. The more you try to organize shit the more fucked up everything gets.
I was having this conversation with my homie recently about music and culture. And in music, the youth drive the culture, of course. And the reason people like you, Peep, Uzi, this whole new tier of rappers, are popping the way y’all are is because you are the youth. You have that connection with the consumer because you like and sound just like them. Do you think that’s kinda where the industry is headed?
100 percent. You know, the internet gives a thirteen year old, a twelve year old, a voice, you know what I mean? There’s a lot of shit the labels can do but that’s just on some groundwork shit nowadays. How I personally feel about it, and this is no disrespect to anybody but like, I just like feel like labels do the groundwork and the actual people that are allowing these artists to elevate are the consumers. You got kids who just started rapping like five months ago and dropped a fucking song on YouTube, that shit gets a million plays.
But doesn’t that dilute the industry?
You know, not really. I really thought it did but it’s like bruh, a hit is a hit. You know what I mean? If you got lucky, you got just blessed by making a random song that’s a hit, kudos to you. I feel like people just hate on that shit because you got so many other artists that are actually busting their ass. I be on the same shit, but I’m not gonna get mad at a person like TayKay for being on the charts before I am and I know I used to do way more shit probably compared to what he’s done. I’m not gonna sit here and hate on that. If anything I’m gonna connect cause it’s like damn bro, look at what the fuck he’s going through right now.
If anything that should just motivate me to pace the ball. And that’s what a lot of people hate doing. A lot of people when they’re comfortable doing something a certain way and you tell them, "Nah, you should actually switch it up," even I have a problem with that shit sometimes. Adapting to change. Knowing that sometimes your way is not right. That’s a lesson to be learned for all artists. Real shit. I feel like once an artist learns to pick the brains around you, and not just yours, you gonna be straight. I’d be lying if I sat here and said I don’t get ideas form my n****s, or I don’t juggle ideas with my n****s. The best idea always wins. No matter what.
It’s like selling drugs. If my dad is a fucking kingpin, and it’s easier to get work off him, why would I not fucking do that? Why would you not take advantages of your resources? You know what I mean? It’s thinking smarter, not harder. I’m not gonna get mad at someone because he didn’t do what I did. I had to fucking open up for Earl the Sweatshirt when I had like 200 followers and nobody knew who the fuck I was. It goes back full circle. What you talked about as far as drugs and the consumer not knowing what the artist goes through, everyone’s struggle is different. Everybody struggle is different. That mental health shit a mufucka, bruh.
