The players in Ryli came together when the band’s singer, Yea-Ming Chen, met guitarist Rob Good. “I was just setting up my studio at the time,” Good said. “Bobby Martinez, the head of our label, Dandy Boy Records, asked me to contribute a track to Tales of a Kitchen Porter, a tribute album he was putting together for Cleaners from Venus.”
Cleaners from Venus, a semi-obscure band, pioneered the DIY movement in Scotland. “Bobby suggested singing harmonies with Yea-Ming on the song ‘Night Starvation,’” Good said.
“We looked at each other as our harmonies blended, and something clicked,” Good continued. “After the session, I was playing something and she started singing over it. A song called ‘Downtown’ came out of it, so we thought we should start a group. That’s how Ryli happened.”
Chen and Good enlisted the rhythm section of Luke Robbins (Latitude) on bass and Ian McBrayer (Healing Potpourri) on drums. Everyone in the band contributes harmonies to the backing vocals. The new band’s debut, Come and Get Me, dips into many styles. Chen said the band allows arrangements to evolve without following any particular thread.
The songs on Come and Get Me took shape over several months. Chen also writes songs and performs with the band she fronts, Yea-Ming & the Rumours. They’ve released three albums since their formation 10 years ago, including I Can’t Have It All (2024).
“I think the Rumours songs are weird, lo-fi indie songs,” Chen said. “Ryli songs are a little more hi-fi and accessible. In most cases, I show the basic vision to Rob, who helps flesh it out. Then we bring it to Ian and Luke who help complete it.”
The band honed the songs in live performance, then went into Good’s studio in Oakland to track the album. It’s a small space, but has a nice, open sound, with booths that allow the amps and singers to be isolated. The rhythm section was tracked live, with guitars and vocals slowly layered up to expand on the band’s live sound.
Chen produces the albums she makes with the Rumours, so co-producing Ryli with Good was a welcome change. “It’s wonderful to have someone take control and be confident about their choices. He’s a great-sounding board, which is missing when I produce on my own. Plus, Rob is a professional audio engineer. He’s teaching me new production skills,” she said.
“Yea-Ming is a formidable producer,” Good said. “Even though I’m turning the knobs and tuning up the mics, it’s a collaboration and a conversation. It wouldn’t be the same without her being in there, talking about how to layer the vocals, keys, extra guitars and all that stuff.”
The result captures the band’s live sound. “Downtown” opens with a shimmering guitar line and Chen’s wistful vocal describing a nighttime walk through the city, contemplating the end of a relationship. Robbins and McBrayer add a subtle R&B groove to Good’s atmospheric guitar.
“Bad July” rides a rolling surf beat, laid down by Robbins and McBrayer and Good’s brittle lead line. Chen sings the chorus with a carefree tone that contrasts with the forlorn lyric. “I Think I Need You Around” is a great pop tune with a haunting melody. Good’s sinuous guitar line dances around Chen’s vocal, as she describes the longing she feels for a departed lover.
“We’re really babies/toddlers as a band,” Chen said. “There are drastic differences between the songs on this record, because we’re still figuring out what our sound is. I realized recently the forte of Rob, Luke and Ian might be their ability to create and relieve tension.
“We’re working on the next record already,” Chen continued. “It will be our teenager record—knowing where our strengths are and how to hone in on them and use them well.”
In addition to the upcoming dates with Ryli, Chen will continue playing with Yea-Ming & the Rumours. “I’m currently working on a new recording with the Rumours,” Chen said. “We should have a new album from that band early next year. I’m also a music teacher. If I could write and perform all day long, I’d love it. But teaching is fun in its own way. It helps keep me sharp.”
Ryli will perform on Saturday, Aug. 2, and Friday, Aug. 15, at the Little Hill Lounge, 10753 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. littlehillelcerrito.com. Listen to ‘Come and Get Me’ on the Dandy Boy Records Bandcamp page.
