When I first started listening to Into This Garden, the debut EP from Minneapolis duo Yes We Are, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What surprised me pleasantly and immediately is how intentionally the project grows which is almost always the opposite way bands choose to format their releases. The band chooses to start small and end big. “Where Is Love?” opens with stripped-down vulnerability: lush legato strings, crooning Bono-esque vocals, and soft keys. Fast forward to track 3, “Daisy” arrives, the EP takes a turn into something larger, built on infectious four-on-the-floor groove and atmospheric synths that lift the arrangement into a new faster direction from the openers. “Arrow” keeps that momentum aloft, guiding the listener into the title track, “Into This Garden,” which lands as a dramatic, emotional finale. The choice to perform only the last piece in half-time drums add gravity; the screeching guitars give it lift doing that cool thing where the guitarist cleverly bends into the same note they’re playing on a different string.
Across its five tracks, the EP lives up to its name. Instead of flowers, the garden grows through tone and tone-shift, spacious synth washes, percussion that is cinematic, and melodies that unfold slowly rather than grabbing for attention. It’s a cohesive that still has plenty of diversity between the tracks. A very solid project and definitely worth giving it a chance, check out some of the links below!
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