Chuey & Jeremy Yong – “welcome back”
Chuey (Ashley Chu) and Jeremy Yong are two musicians based in Sydney, Australia, and by the looks of it, they’re cooking up something new together. Chuey, whose work is more electronic and pop oriented, has built up quite an extensive back catalog as a producer and a collaborator. Check out their 2023 project DIPTYCH EP, which explores house, 00s EDM, and a touch of boogie that would definitely bring the house down at a rave. 2022’s Tableaux EP has a similar sound, but is a heavily collaborative album that borrows the vocal talents of other musicians to sing some smashing hooks. A common throughway on all the songs are the explosive and excitable beats, as well as a piano flourish that adds a touch of jazz to each one of the tracks.
In a similar way, Jeremy Yong has carved out his own niche with his guitarwork – a quick glance at his social media accounts shows an expert guitarist who’s been playing for a long time. It wasn’t until last year when he released “cruising” with Leah Berry and Chuey, though, that he actually had a complete track to his name. That is, until the release of “welcome back,” the first song the two have released in a year.
“welcome back” is wholly a step into the city pop genre: a retro-throwback jam that combines 80s boogie and funk with a shiny modern production twist. All of those factors that defined the two musicians’ art all show up here in full force – keys and guitar/bass are working overtime, and you can hear the groovy production elements that kick it up a notch! There’s a lot of moving parts here that feel heavily inspired by similar artists like Ginger Root, Casiopea, or even the guitar stylings of Masayoshi Takanaka. If any of those artists are up your alley, you’ll find a lot to enjoy in “welcome back.” As I look out the window here in the Southern California heat, there’s not a better song to pair the blue skies, palm trees, and good vibes with.
The two are also making an anime-inspired music video for the song soon, so stay tuned. For now, there’s a visualizer that features the two jamming out in the car to the song before they realize that… the song’s not their vibe. Someone give these two Oscars for their restraint!
Chuey artist pages: Instagram | SoundCloud | YouTube
Jeremy Yong artist pages: Website | Instagram | SoundCloud | YouTube
Li-Wei Chu is the chief editor of From the Intercom. When he’s not editing drafts and searching for new artists to cover for the website, he loves watching cult films, cooking, and listening to his ever-growing collection of vinyl records. You can follow him on LetterBoxd and make fun of his taste in movies here!