News

Lovelikefire Release Album 'Tear Ourselves Away'

• 17th Sep 2009

Following closely in the foot-steps of their opening bows in acclaimed debut singles 'William' and 'Stand In Your Shoes', San Francisco alt. rock quartet LoveLikeFire unleash their dramatic debut album, 'Tear Ourselves Away'.

LoveLikeFire is the brainchild of Las Vegas born, San Francisco based Ann Yu. Yu spent most of her youth in frustration, with her parents refusing to let her listen to contemporary music of any description. She trained as a classical violinist, but yearned to spend time with music that spoke to her on a more personal, affecting level. The music of LoveLikeFire was nothing more than a recurring dream, but one that Yu longed to live out and discover.

Yu eventually left home and moved into a downtown apartment with members of The Killers, sharing their garage rehearsal space in the heart of Las Vegas. It soon became apparent that the local music scene was overbearing and heavily over subscribed by the same dominant and too familiar faces. Yu packed up what she could carry, and headed out to San Francisco to develop and focus on that long-standing vision of LoveLikeFire.

It is those very sub conscious sounds that step forward on 'Tear Ourselves Away', to produce an ambitious record of huge scope and dynamic.

Fresh from a series of acclaimed shows at this year's SXSW, LoveLikeFire channel the drama and multi-layered wall of melody akin to Arcade Fire borne through the alternate vision of Yu. It is a sound that simmers in a darkly brooding territory, before it twists and turns into a different shape altogether. A dynamic akin to friends The Killers features throughout, but with an altogether more delicate, controlled touch.

Yu's vocal is another crucial ingredient in building LoveLikeFire's brilliantly compelling sound. It's rich, reflective delivery veers from the tender ('My Left Eye'), to the lush and aggressive ('Signs'). Equal parts Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval to Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O, Yu is a strong and distinctive young vocalist.

Lyrically, Yu harks back to her varied life experiences, particularly those from her heavily protected childhood – both beautifully mysterious and darkly intuitive.

'Tear Ourselves Away' is an intriguing and emotional debut album from a new US band with a strong penchant to allure and alarm in the most seductive of ways.

LoveLikeFire are:

Ann Yu (vocals, guitar)

David Farrell (drums)

Eric Amerman (bass, keys)

Marty Mattern (guitar, keys)