The Young Evils with Kevin Cole // photo by James Bailey
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased tracks, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Each and every Friday we offer songs by local artists. Today’s selection, featured on the Morning Show with Kevin Cole, is the 2011 self-released single “When Sally Walked In The Rain” by The Young Evils.
Ahhhh, The Young Evils. The local darlings’ catchy, ebullient pop jams are most certainly youthful but far from anything that could be considered sinister. Led by Troy Nelson and Mackenzie Mercer, the band broke out in 2011 with a vocal chemistry that buzzes in your ears with the pleasing oohs and ahhs of something that is simply meant to be, like two voices separated at birth. Nelson and Mercer’s harmonies are what leave listeners swooning, but it’s the band’s jangly, buoyant, and delightfully precise instrumentation that gives their pop tunes their unrelenting propulsiveness and energy, leaving listeners with a spirited sense that everything is going to be all right.
Like I said, 2011 was a big year for The Young Evils. They released their debut full-length album, Enchanted Chapel, and made several noteworthy appearances, including showings at Sasquatch! and the CMJ Music Marathon in New York (they also added “opened for Pearl Jam” to their list of credentials with a gig at the iconic grunge band’s 20th anniversary). Absent from Enchanted Chapel but a staple of their live shows is today’s featured song, “When Sally Walked In The Rain.” For those of you who already own the album, just download today’s MP3 to complete your Young Evils collection.
The Young Evils will be playing Friday, February 3, at the Showbox at the Market as part of GIMME SHELTER - A Benefit Concert to End Homelessness. Also appearing will be The Dusty 45s, the Maldives, Lazy Susan, Betsy Olson, Davidson Hart Kingsbery, and The Purrs. For event and ticket info, click here. The Young Evils don’t appear to have any other performances scheduled, but check in with their Facebook and MySpace pages for updates. For now, have a look at them playing “Get Over It,” a standout track from Enchanted Chapel, like for KEXP:
