Covet

Life-affirming and joyful storytelling from a modern-day guitar master.

Cowboys walking off into the sunset across vast deserts. Wizards stood in the middle of forests practising spells. Heroes riding into certain danger to save citizens from burning buildings. Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have in the world, and for Yvette Young, it has become a central part of how she creates music. These three very different situations are all subjects taken from //Catharsis//, the third album from her band Covet, each one representing a different form of escapism, transporting you away from an existence that can so often stifle such colourful creativity.

“In a world where everything is figuratively burning down, it’s easier to bury your head in the sand and build a different world than it is to address those problems,” she comments.

“But I didn’t just want to bury my head. Most of the songs on this album were written over quarantine. I had a lot of stuff happen and a lot of crap I had to face, so I just tried to put all of my feelings into my music. That’s why it’s called //Catharsis// as well. It’s a fitting way of summing everything up and getting everything out. It’s the means of confronting those things you face and expressing everything you hold.”

Though where catharsis can often come in the form of fire and brimstone-laced intensity, Yvette’s outpouring was more kaleidoscopic and sun-stained. Starting each track from a pedal demo, letting the weird and wonderful effects of her vast collection pave the way, before considering what riff and melody would fit perfectly rather than what skill she could show off, the result ended up being one built on glistening positivity. The audio equivalent of the sun’s heat being so strong that it bursts through whatever cloud dares to cover it. It’s the culmination of having the time to experiment at her own pace whilst also keeping the whole reason she does this at the forefront of her mind.

“This is the thing that has literally saved my life,” she smiles.

“Guitar is the reason that I am still living and breathing today, and I think the main reason that everybody should create is because it can be as rewarding and fulfilling as that. It’s easy to lose sight of that, especially in the more technical world of guitars we find ourselves in, when the point of all of this is to have fun. If it excites you, you should follow it.

“I started out doing things that were a bit flashier and more technical, but as I got older, it became crucial to follow whatever excites me. Using music as a tool to channel emotions in a positive way and a means to reassure people. That’s what excites me now, not just shredding as fast as I can. It is healing and is a powerful tool for us all.”
That’s why if you see Covet on tour this year, you will see Yvette dancing and shimmering with unashamed freedom rather than stressing over getting every note perfect. Because expressing joy is the most critical thing about Covet in 2023, and that isn’t going to be changing anytime soon.

“I remember being on stage and not feeling the music I was playing,” she concludes. “I was sitting sweating bullets, trying to nail my riffs, and I wondered if this was sustainable for me. And now, playing things that probably aren’t as technical but that I 100% can feel, you can see me within the emotion and the melody, and I’m smiling whilst I’m doing it.

“I think that’s what is truly sustainable.” JR

PROG FILE

LINE-UP:

Yvette Young [Guitars, Vocals], Brandon Dove [bass], Jessica Burdeaux [Drums]

SOUNDS LIKE:

Guitar-driven instrumentation baked in the sun and forced through your favourite fantasy novel

RELEASE:

//Catharsis// is out now via Triple Crown Records

WEBSITE:

covettheband.com

–JR