Kevin Bronson on May 27th, 2015

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The hard-to-type but easy-on-the-ears L.A. duo yOya continue walk the tightrope between the worlds of acoustic folk and electro-pop. It’s an act they pull off with uncommon grace, owing to the strong vocal harmonies and songwriting from principals behind Alex Pfender and Noah Dietterich. The native Oregonians are following up last year’s “Fool’s Gold” single and a 2013 EP with a new song, “The Heartwood” (out last week via New Professor), which finds the duo “learning to be a little less precious about things,” Pfender says. Meticulousness, of course, is relative. Incorporating the drumming of Ian Meltzer and produced by Jon O’Brien (Young the Giant, Yellow Red Sparks, Wetwood Smokes, et al), “The Heartwood” still possesses the characteristic yOya shimmer and emotional heft.

||| Stream: “The Heartwood”

||| Live: yOya perform July 11 at Centennial Square in Pasadena as part of an Eat See Hear night that features a screening of “Back To The Future.”

||| Previously: “Fool’s Gold” video, “King of Nothing,” “I’ll Be Fire”

Photo by Eleanore Kody