Yeah Yeah Yeahs

2000–2003: Formation and Fever to Tell

In early 2000, singer/songwriter Karen Orzolek—henceforth known as Karen O—and guitarist Nick Zinner founded the acoustic duo Unitard. Later that year, they changed their name to Yeah Yeah Yeahs and shifted towards a "trashy, punky, [and] grimy" sound inspired by the contemporary Ohio music scene.^[1][2] In September 2000, the band was invited to open for the White Stripes at the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan.^[3] As Karen O did not want to use a drum machine live, she enlisted drummer Brian Chase a day before the show. He became a permanent fixture of their lineup, making Yeah Yeah Yeahs a trio.^[4]

"Bang"

A sample from "Bang", the opening track of the band's debut EP

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In late 2001, Yeah Yeah Yeahs hired Jerry Teel, a former guitarist for the punk rock band Boss Hog, to co-produce a demo intended to secure more shows. This ultimately developed into their self-titled debut EP, a decision that Zinner attributes to their desire to share their music.^[5][6] It was recorded and produced at Funhouse Recording Studio in New York, which doubled as their rehearsal space.^[5][7] They self-released the EP on their own label, Shifty, in July 2001.^[7] They gained significant media coverage after Albert Hammond Jr. of the Strokes wore a Yeah Yeah Yeahs pin while performing on Saturday Night Live,^[8] as well as a high-profile performance at South by Southwest,^[9] leading to the EP's reissue by Touch and Go Records in the United States and Wichita Recordings in the United Kingdom in 2002.^[6][10] Their first royalty payment from the latter label, who signed them after hearing "Bang", was $32.^[11][12] The EP topped the UK Indie Chart and, according to Nielsen SoundScan, has sold over 71,000 copies.^[13][14]

By the end of 2002, Yeah Yeah Yeahs's first record and live shows garnered them recognition.^[15][16] The band received offers from major record labels to finance and produce their debut album, Fever to Tell, but rejected them, as they felt it would compromise their creative control.^[17] They funded the album themselves and hired the then-unknown Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio) as a co-producer, his first of several collaborations with the band.^[18] They recorded the album at the local Headgear Studio in early 2002 and compiled unused material into Machine, their second EP, for promotion.^[19][20] Yeah Yeah Yeahs subsequently signed to Interscope Records at the insistence of Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, which allowed them to maintain creative control.^[21][22] In contrast to their usual no-bass style, Zinner played bass in the studio recordings but went uncredited.^[23]

Fever to Tell was released in May 2003 and sold more than one million copies worldwide by 2009,^[24][25] propelling the band to international stardom.^[26] It reached number 55 on the US Billboard 200 and number 13 on the UK Albums Chart,^[27][28] and it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and the Shortlist Music Prize.^[29][30] Regarding their musical progression, NME wrote: "When they first arrived in Britain a year ago, it seemed likely they'd make a debut album fixated on the simple art of fucking. Instead, 'Fever to Tell' is more complicated: seeking to explain love, sex and the remarkable, brittle, sometimes disturbing connections between the two."^[31] Four singles were released from the album: "Date with the Night", "Pin", "Maps", and "Y Control"; the first three reached the top 30 of the UK singles chart.^[27] "Maps" became the band's signature song, peaking at number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100 and tripling the sales of Fever to Tell.^[19][28] The song's music video was played extensively on MTV, and it got nominated for four MTV Video Music Awards.^[32][33]

2004–2006: Show Your Bones

In October 2004, Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their first DVD, Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow,^[34] which includes a concert filmed at the Fillmore in San Francisco, all of the band's music videos to date, and various interviews.^[35][36] In early 2005, they began work on their second album, Show Your Bones, with the goal of reinventing their sound and not creating "Fever to Tell part 2".^[37] Sitek returned to co-produce with the band and Sam Spiegel, better known as Squeak E. Clean.^[38] They faced various problems during production, including once scrapping and restarting the project,^[37] and tensions rising amongst the members due to the pressure.^[39] Karen O explained, "We just scared the shit out of each other, it was a dark and scary realm that we were going into – not that the music was dark and scary it was just totally different."^[40] Chase said that he did not understand the music until a month after they had finished the album.^[40] The final product was described by the band as "what happens when you put your finger in a light socket".^[41]

Show Your Bones was officially released in March 2006. It became the band's career-highest entry in the United Kingdom, at number seven,^[27] and it quadrupled the first-week sales of Fever to Tell in the United States.^[42] The press agreed that the band had successfully avoided a sophomore slump,^[43][44] though one critic thought their tensions showed in its music.^[45] It earned the band their second nomination for the Best Alternative Music Album Grammy.^[46] Three singles were released from the album: "Gold Lion", "Turn Into", and "Cheated Hearts". The first of these peaked at number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[28] They toured in early 2006 in support of the record.^[47][48]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs joined All Tomorrow's Parties in 2006, a now-defunct organization from the United Kingdom that promoted independent music through their festivals.^[49] As major contributors to the festival, Yeah Yeah Yeahs were included in the 2009 documentary of the same name.^[50] Also in 2006, they released a live EP exclusive to iTunes.^[51] That same year, they joined BeatBullying's "Take a Stand" campaign to advocate against bullying^[52] and contributed a remix of "Cheated Hearts" to the charity album Give. Listen. Help. Volume 3, which aimed to raise awareness of breast cancer.^[53]

2007–2009: It's Blitz!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs announced the release of a fourth EP, Is Is, in June 2007, composed of songs written between the production of Fever to Tell and Show Your Bones and produced by Nick Launay.^[54] In a statement on their website, the band wrote: "Summer nights are made for this shit. This shit IS IS made for summer nights."^[54] It was released in July 2007 and entered the US Billboard 200 at number 72.^[28] Only one single was released from the EP, "Down Boy".^[55] Also in 2007, the band contributed "Sealings" to the soundtrack of the superhero film Spider-Man 3.^[56]

In 2008, Yeah Yeah Yeahs began working on their third album, It's Blitz!.^[57] They wrote all the material during production, in contrast with the sessions for their first two albums. Launay, who returned as a co-producer with Sitek, remarked that he had not seen a band do so since 1979.^[57] The band reinvented themselves once more by shifting to dance-punk and pop rock, using pre-recorded samples of Chase's drums and making heavy use of an ARP synthesizer Zinner brought on a whim to one of five studios It's Blitz was recorded at.^[58] Several breaks were taken during production, to "get inspired".^[57] The album was slated for release in April 2009, but an internet leak of the material occurred in February, much to the band's dismay.^[59] The band embarked on an international tour to support the album in late 2009.^[60]

It's Blitz was ultimately released in March 2009^[61] and doubled the sales of Show Your Bones in the United States alone.^[62] It received gold certifications in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia—their most highly certified album to date,^[62][63][64] and netted their third nomination for the Best Alternative Music Album Grammy.^[65] Three singles were released from the album: "Zero", "Heads Will Roll", and "Skeletons", the second of which became the band's best-selling single to date, going double platinum in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.^[27][66] The song's music video was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Breakthrough Video.^[67] A remix by the Canadian artist A-Trak further heightened the song's popularity, and it was placed on Rolling Stone's list of "The 200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".^[68] The band also covered the Ramones's "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" for War Child Presents Heroes (2009), a charity album whose funds provided aid to children in war-afflicted countries.^[69]

2010–2013: Mosquito

Yeah Yeah Yeahs headlined a fundraiser performance at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2010, which honored several philanthropists and raised funds for the museum.^[70] Following the It's Blitz! shows, the band began to work on new material.^[71] Their activity decreased in the next two years as the members worked on personal projects. Their following album, Mosquito, was produced during a turbulent time for the trio, who wrote and recorded the songs only when they felt inspired.^[72] Combining a return to their early sound with a "playful, lo-fi approach", Sitek and Launay returned to produce the album and were joined by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, who the band were previously interested in collaborating with.^[72] Karen O said Mosquito "was the rope ladder thrown down into the ditch for us to climb up and dust ourselves off".^[73]

In January 2013, Yeah Yeah Yeahs announced Mosquito,^[74] whose artwork by Beomsik Shimbe Shim attracted negative attention.^[75][76] After a series of promotional performances,^[74] the album was released in April 2013 and became their highest-charting effort in the United States to date, peaking at number five on the Billboard 200.^[28] In spite of chart success, some outlets felt the band had taken their first step backward.^[77][78] Two singles were issued: "Sacrilege" and "Despair", both of which were accompanied by music videos.^[79][80] The first won two UK Music Video Awards and nominations for two MTV Video Music Awards.^[81][82] "Despair" was shot on the top of the Empire State Building, making Yeah Yeah Yeahs the first band to ever film there.^[83] They toured worldwide in early 2013 to promote the album.^[84]

2014–2021: Hiatus and concert focus

In December 2014, Karen O told NME that the band had been "on a bit of a hiatus", citing a lack of inspiration and motivation.^[85] The members then focused on their solo careers. Chase continued his experimentation in music, working on the album series Drums and Drones from 2013 to 2018;^[86] Karen O became a mother and released her debut solo album, Crush Songs, in 2014;^[87] and Zinner opened a photography exhibit, "601 Photographs", in 2015;^[88] They briefly reunited for a one-off performance in 2016 for a Mick Rock documentary, playing with Money Mark and Jaleel Bunton of TV on the Radio.^[89] Also in 2016, they released a remix of "Under the Earth" from Mosquito to promote the water sanitation charity Drop in the Bucket.^[90] They announced their return by headlining Sound on Sound Fest with Iggy Pop and Grizzly Bear, their first concert in four years;^[91] the festival was ultimately cancelled.^[92]

In September 2017, Yeah Yeah Yeahs announced a reissue of Fever to Tell for its fifteenth anniversary, featuring previously unreleased demos and material from the era.^[93] It was published the following month alongside a short film, There Is No Modern Romance, which features both concert and offstage footage from their 2003 Fever to Tell tour.^[94] Retrospective analyses of the album from The Line of Best Fit and Uncut reaffirmed it as the band's defining work.^[95][96] To celebrate the reissue, the band performed a small series of shows that same year.^[97] In February 2018, the band recorded a Spotify-exclusive cover of Big Star's "Thirteen", their newest release in five years.^[98] They focused on live performances in the years afterwards.^[99] They aspired to create new music as early as 2020 but were halted by the COVID-19 pandemic,^[100] though they released a home recording of "Phenomena", a song from Show Your Bones.^[101] The band appeared on the charity album Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, Volume 2 (2020), which advocated for suffrage.^[102]

2022–present: Cool It Down

After a period of sporadic activity, Yeah Yeah Yeahs signed with the independent record label Secretly Canadian in May 2022 and announced new music and performances through their social media.^[103] Work began on their fifth album, Cool It Down, which was recorded at three different studios: Sonic Ranch in Texas, Federal Prism in California, and Zinner's basement. Sitek returned as a producer with Justin Raisen and Andrew Wyatt and co-wrote four of its eight songs.^{[104][105][104]} They donated $1 of every pre-order of Cool It Down towards ClientEarth as part of their activism against climate change.^[106]

Cool It Down came out in September 2022 and, after the mixed reception of Mosquito, marked a critical resurgence for the band.^[107] Reviewers thought it not only featured the band's most consistent work but Karen O's most refined songwriting yet.^{[108][109][110]} It received nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, the band's fourth in the category,^[111] and the Libera Award for Marketing Genius.^[112] Three singles were released digitally: "Spitting Off the Edge of the World", "Burning", and "Wolf". The first of these featured Perfume Genius and was nominated for the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance,^[113][114] while its music video (directed by Cody Critcheloe, designer of the Fever to Tell album art)^[115] was nominated for the Libera Award for Video of the Year.^[112] The song earned further recognition after appearing in The Gorge, topping two Billboard digital charts.^[28][116]

To promote Cool It Down, Yeah Yeah Yeahs played a small set of shows in mid 2022^[103] and expanded it internationally in mid 2023.^[117] In 2025, Yeah Yeah Yeahs embarked on the Hidden in Pieces Tour, which aimed to "showcase the band's catalog reimagined in a captivating new light, performing in intimate theater settings across both North America and the UK."^[118] Reviewers lauded the vulnerability displayed through the softer renditions of their discography, and some thought it featured the band at their most innovative yet.^[119] A portion of proceeds from the tour was donated to ClientEarth.^[118]