An emotive journey through ancestral stories and modern dilemmas, Earth Surface People’s sophomore album brings a bold new soundscape to the forefront of art rock and neo-soul.
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In the vast, ever-evolving landscape of contemporary music, some artists and collectives direct their melodies not just to our ears, but to the core of our human experience. Earth Surface People stand as exemplars of this practice, enveloping listeners in music that is as spiritually evocative as it is sonically intricate. Now, with the release of Yáágo Dootlizh, their second album, the Indigenous (Diné/Navajo) led collective invites us deeper into their unique universe—a place where modern rhythms and ancestral whispers converge.
Yáágo Dootlizh is not merely a collection of tracks; it is a living, breathing tapestry told across sixteen tracks, each infusing life’s highs and lows with infectious veracity. Conceived over the span of two years, the album is the product of an extraordinary collaboration among eight talented musicians spread across three states. With Dakota Yazzie at the helm, Earth Surface People have bottled lightning in a jar, perfectly capturing the synergy that comes from melding so many diverse creative forces. As Yazzie articulately shares, “None of the album was predetermined… it was a process of bottling lightning or putting a muzzle on the wind.”
The album’s title, Yáágo Dootlizh, eloquently encapsulates the thematic heart of the work. The Diné Bizaad phrase, which speaks to the act of “being colored blue,” serves as more than a mere linguistic nod—it represents an experiential flow akin to water. This fluidity is mirrored in the band’s choice to embrace improvisation and work within the bounds of their available resources, merging limitations into creativity.
Woven into this fabric are Nanibaah’s vigorous lead vocals, characterized by an extraordinary range and emotive depth reminiscent of powerhouse vocalists such as Etta James, Amy Winehouse, and Ella Fitzgerald. Her voice carries the album from the sultry, smooth sounds of “Benz or Beemer” and “White Peach” to the electrifying anthem “Dance Me Outside” and the stripped-down, poignant “Santa Fe Girl.”
Completing this sonic journey are Ken Chavez and Lawrence Bailon’s rhythmical foundations, Chochise Yazzie’s synth soundscapes, Mike Gutierrez’s primal saxophone, Zachary Dominguez’s textured piano, and Yazzie’s own versatile contributions on vocals and instruments. The result is an album that transcends its medium, an indelible testament to a collective spirit committed to interconnectivity and collaboration.
Earth Surface People, a name now synonymous with innovative art rock fused with neo-soul elements, debuted their eponymous album in 2022, and have since graced numerous stages across the southwest. Their influences span diverse artists from Gil Scott-Heron to Kendrick Lamar, and with Yáágo Dootlizh, they continue to carve their own path through the musical wilderness, offering listeners a rich, resonant exploration of life in harmony with nature and each other.
As fans and new listeners delve into Yáágo Dootlizh, they are invited to step into a world where the past and present dance—a place where ancestral stories meet contemporary truths, painted in the vibrant, flowing blues of Earth Surface People’s distinctive sound world.
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