Pōneke Punk Band Love Party Release Debut Album WOW!
Led by Kate Yesberg and Dayle Jellyman, their fuzzy alt-punk and power-pop slanted music conjures up the atmosphere of a children's birthday party for well-dressed adults with a healthy irreverence towards the status quo. Energetic, mischievous and down-to-earth, they combine tasty guitar figures and cheeky duo vocals with driving drums and basslines that get the dancefloor moving.
Having been married for a decade before they started the band, Kate and Dayle bring a close, comfortable chemistry to their songcraft. Recorded at Dr Lee Prebble's Surgery studio facility in Newtown with Cory Champion (Clear Path Ensemble) on drums, WOW! is a timestamped document of everything the denim and leather-clad couple has learned about love in its many forms. Avoiding anything overt or prescriptive, they revel in giving themselves full permission to enjoy life's simple pleasures with wild-eyed gusto and abandon.
The album comprises 8 full-power tracks, featuring previously released singles 'Hit It', 'Moonbaby' and 'I Don't Wanna Leave'.
The lead single, 'Wow It's So Beautiful', was penned after witnessing the magic of window seat views from a domestic plane flight on a sunny day. In the music video, filmed in Wellington, Love Party is beyond excited about the beauty of birds until, would you believe it, Dayle himself becomes a bird.
When they first started Love Party, Kate and Dayle decided to dive into the freedom of the unknown and learn new instruments, guitar and bass, respectively. Having both played in rock and punk bands in their teens, that shared experience allowed them to reconnect with the playful naivety of their salad days. Between the restrictions and energy this generated, they found a creative wellspring. It doesn't run wide, but it runs deep, and in those depths, they've found everything they need.
'We started jamming along with a Roland drum machine in our apartment, jumping about, looking for the fuzziest fuzz, lyrics that just fell out and felt great. Singing in unison just happened and evolved into a real feature of the music,' says Yesberg. The album is a 'time-stamped document of everything we've learned about love so far, from the romantic, to the ridiculous, to the universal.'
Outside of Love Party, Kate is a well-respected abstract painter and former lawyer turned musician. Her counterpart, Dayle, is a longstanding keyboardist who plays piano and synthesiser with a who's who of party-rocking Wellington bands, including Miles Calder, Battle Ska Galactica, Fvkvshima, and The Electrons, as well as leading the celebrated Floating Head jazz ensemble.
WOW! is available now on all streaming platforms. See Love Party live at their debut show at the Lōemis Midwinter Festival on 21 June in Wellington.
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