Folly Oh Yes bring their infectious grooves, ethereal vocals, and exquisite visuals to Market Tap.

Folly Oh Yes, post-pandemic songcraft at its best

Folly Oh Yes have emerged from the post-pandemic bedroom scene with an eponymous EP that offers both reprieve from and commentary on these increasingly dystopian times we find ourselves in.
‘Zombie Of Silicon Valley’ contains the most overt social commentary on the EP, though still focused through the band's distinctive existential lens. It seems to express a distinct 2020’s zeitgeist that has now pervaded all age groups. That is the coming to terms with having lost several years of our lives through the pandemic, now losing our present to social media addiction and potentially losing our future to the onslaught of AI.
‘Out In The Sun’, by contrast, sweeps us up into the clouds and rocks us gently with its infectious, simple groove and even a glockenspiel cameo. An ode to the love between two sisters, the song touches on the struggles faced by TCKs (third culture kids). “But the overall message is positive” writes Vasu, vocalist from the band. “Ultimately the bond between my sister and I is so strong thanks to the rootlessness of our upbringing. We only had each other. And that bond cannot be broken, it is a beautiful thing.”
Whether intentional or not, ‘Such Quotidian Demands’ is placed at the end of the EP with poetic precision. In my mind, it perfectly encapsulates what Folly Oh Yes are here to say. On the one hand, it is an account of an artist reckoning with the reality of the music industry in real time. The chorus sums it up. “Can I even make a profit, such quotidian demands, can I even make a living, selling my soul” But the message is universal: do what you love. Sure, you might not be a nepo baby and you might not have generational wealth for fancy digital marketing schemes (ahem…Chaotic Good) but you have a passion and, as the last line of the song reminds us “this heart continues to yearn”.
This EP is two things that I love: Pithy and vibey. Are those two things easy to reconcile? Not usually. But Folly Oh Yes have nailed it.

Isaiah Tunde-Parkham
Too Small To Fail