yOya

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yOya continue to conquer with each release… “Go North” is not only an instruction but an inspiring one.
Buzzbands.la
Very near unequaled… this is a band to be reckoned with.
Radio Free Silver Lake
Alex and Noah harmonize the directions and divisions of heart strung chords on the mellow gold premiere of, “Fool's Gold”
Impose more press mentions ↓
I feel like these guys have dozens more great songs in their heads, waiting to come out.
You Ain't No Picasso
Boasting sweet soaring harmonies and stimulating electro-pop beats, [yOya] has left us smitten again with the latest single off their forthcoming EP
Buzzbands.la
[One] of L.A.’s finest electro-pop purveyors.
David Greenwald, Brand X / LA Times
Falsetto harmonies from Alex Pfender and Noah Dietterich… highlight the solid balance between their folk-rock roots from the past and urban influences from the metropolis they live in now. Their latest album “Nothing to Die” is a collection of intricately textured songs that sometimes recall past material from the Dodos.
Seraphina Lotkhamnga, Buzz Bands LA
For a two-piece, yOya really impressed, mashing up acoustic guitar melodies, some groovy piano, and programmed beats spouting out of their MPC. These guys have a Jeff Buckley-type falsetto thing going on that’s absolutely beautiful to behold.
Rich Thomas and Dustin Downing, ChinaShop
God, there is something so refreshing about a band you can just listen to and know that they are good… They are electronic enough to avoid too many comparisons to Simon & Garfunkel and just folky enough to prove that their band doesn’t exist because of a computer. It’s catchy, well written and recorded and easy to listen to: what’s not to love?
The Five Three Six
yOya, the local duo of Alex Pfender and Noah Dietterich… combine folksy familiarity with electronic embellishments on their recent self-released album, Nothing to Die.
Chris Martins, LA Weekly
This band blew me away, hands down… The vocals are unique and have this soft and calming effect.
Ivy League Spins
Nothing To Die… shows growth in sound by melding folk with electronic elements and an MPC beat machine… Some might worry that these new additions could take away from the rawness of the material, but it actually enhances the music. Overall, a well-rounded initial offering.
Justin Lyons, JayeL Audio

yOya live
Noah Dietterich
keyboards, vocals
Alex Pfender
guitar, vocals

yOya is the project of longtime songwriting partners Alex Pfender and Noah Dietterich. Natives of Corvallis, OR and friends since the fifth grade, Pfender and Dietterich grew up to the sound of rain in the fir trees and Graceland on cassette. When the duo moved to California they found themselves semi-consciously absorbing the electronic sounds of the LA scene. What emerged was yOya’s unique mix of folk-hearted songs, intricate vocal harmony, gritty synths, and thundering electronic beats.

Their debut album “Nothing To Die” brought them to stages with Avi Buffalo and Dawes, with its incisive beats and tightly-packaged pop. Their follow up EP “Go North” and singles “Fool’s Gold” and “The Heartwood” won them supporting slots for Moses Sumney, Bleachers, and Big Thief, as well as praise from the blogosphere: “walk[ing] the tightrope between the worlds of acoustic folk and electro-pop,” wrote BuzzbandsLA’s Kevin Bronson, “is an act they continue to pull off with uncommon grace.”

Their sophomore LP, “The Half Turn,” released July 2018, is their first since the addition of drummer Ian Meltzer’s precision and exuberance. With half an eye to their sonic past, the album brings broader arrangements and deeper textures to bear. Acoustic and electric drums, guitars, and keyboards all circle around a center: Pfender and Dietterich’s vocals, exploring the world as they pass in a half-turn.