If you have ever been to Cork, the county at the most southern tip of Ireland, then you will be familiar with the accent. It is pretty hard to escape. And if you have ever heard Young Wonder, an electronic pop duo who hail from that county, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were not Irish. Their music has been described as Scandi-pop, hardly something you expect from the Emerald Isle. Comprised of Ian Ring and Rachel Koeman, their sound is a combination of big beats, euphoric synths and pitched vocals. With only two E.P.’s to their name, they have already supported Alt-J and Toro Y Moi. With Body & Soul, Longitude and Latitude festival appearances all lined up for the Summer, Young Wonder will undoubtedly be on many people’s lip’s come Winter. All they need now is some sun. Chasseur magazine interviews the duo before they hit the road.
So tell us how did you two come to meet and start making music?
Brendan of Feel Good Lost (our label, video director and visual team) actually put us two together. It was his idea to put some of my vocals on a song produced by Ian. That song actually turned out to be ‘Orange’ and we wrote it pretty much the first time we met and in the first hour or two in the studio.
And the name for the band, what inspired that?
It was just two words that we really liked. We liked the idea of capturing the sense of wonder that comes with youth, and I think we did so quite successfully in our name.
Your sound has been likened to Scandi-pop yet you hail from Cork. That must have gone down a treat with the locals?
Ha! I mean, yeah, that’s an amazing compliment, and to be compared to the likes of Bjork, Austra, etc, is absolutely amazing. I’m a big fan of scandi-pop, with artists such as lykki li and Niki & The Dove….what’s not to love!
You’ve supported Alt-J and Toro Y Moi in the UK. How was that experience?
It’s still surreal to think that we actually supported Alt-J. I’m so obsessed with their music. I even had a fan girl moment but I won’t go into too much detail! That whole weekend was so much fun, Toro y Moi are amazing live, and such sound guys!
Your EP ‘Show Your Teeth’ made some waves. That must please you at this early stage especially with the upcoming release in Japan?
Yeah it’s all been really positive which is great! We cannot wait to release the two ep’s in Japan and see what’ll come of it. It’s one of those things that you can never predict, so we are all full of anticipation and and excitement and much curiosity.
Rachel, what’s with the cat appearing in the videos? Is it yours?
The first cat that appeared in our single To You, is not my cat. The second appearance of a cat in Electrified is in fact my cat Blacky (my dad also stars in the video – see if you can find him!). I actually love cats so much, it’s a strong obsession of mine!
We noticed at some of your live shows that the women in the audience seem to be particularly taken over by the music. Do you think it speaks to the Amazonian goddesses inside all of them?
Ha! There’s always a women or two at the front of EVERY gig doing their cool Amazonian goddess dance. More power to them!
What does the future hold for Young Wonder?
The release of both our EP’s in Japan on Plancha is on June 12th. After that we have a busy summer playing a ton of festivals throughout Ireland and abroad.
And Rachel can you clear something up? We overheard a security worker ask why you were ” wearing a dildo” on your head. But it’s not a dildo is it? Care to enlighten him?
I don’t actually remember this happening, but how rude of this security guy!! I shall put all rumours to rest that it is in fact NOT a dildo on my head. Merely a unicorn horn.