Yumi Zouma have returned with their first new music in nearly a year and a half with the single, ‘Bashville on the Sugar,’ out today via Nettwerk. Accompanied by a music video watch below, that blends photo studio footage, Mini DV NYC shots, and clips of the group, ‘Bashville on the Sugar’ marks a significant evolution for the band, infusing their signature melodic heart into a new sense of buoyancy and raw glory, with fleet footed guitars licks and nimble basslines propelling in concert with a skittering drum beats, and lead by a thrilling melodic forward motion.
‘Bashville on the Sugar’ opens a new chapter for Yumi Zouma, balancing urgency and melody in a track shaped by movement—both literal and emotional. Written across Mexico City, New York, and New Zealand, it captures the rhythm of transit, weaving in MTA field recordings to reflect the pulse of public transport. With drummer Olivia Campion propelling the group towards oblivion at relentless speed, the swirling guitars of Charlie Ryder and Josh Burgess cascade around Christie Simpson’s heavenly calls for “one last glance as they’re closing the doors.” Bursts of crushed drum machines blast through the spiraling terror of annihilation to proclaim a fearless new chapter for Yumi Zouma in 2025.
Yumi Zouma shares this about the new single, “The first song on our forthcoming project that we really dug into, it’s an ode to the subway and public transport, New York’s in particular. The band has a deep affinity for it; its reliability and the access it provides are unlike anything we experienced in New Zealand. At the same time, its unpredictability—what you’ll see, who you’ll bump into—keeps each trip rooted in the present.”
Now with Nettwerk, Yumi Zouma plans to share more new music and news throughout this year.
Composed of members Christie Simpson (vocals, keyboards), Josh Burgess (guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards), Charlie Ryder (guitar, bass, keyboards), and Olivia Campion (drums), Yumi Zouma originally joined forces in 2013 out of New Zealand. Since then, each member (Olivia joined in 2017) has ventured separately into different cities, with Christie currently living in Melbourne, Charlie in London, Josh in New York, and Olivia in Wellington, New Zealand.
Yumi Zouma’s career has spanned over an entire decade–from the shoegaze and dream-pop of their first EP, EP I, and the blogosphere ubiquity of the early single ‘A Long Walk Home For Parted Lovers’ in 2014, to the synth pop of their debut LP, Yoncalla, tours with Air France, Jamie xx, Lower Dens/ With several albums such as 2017’s Willowbank, 2020’s Truth or Consequences, and 2022’s Present Tense and EPs under their belt and a global touring presence, Yumi Zouma are ready to catapult into a new decade of their career with a forthcoming project via Nettwerk.
