What did we all crave more than anything in the fever pitch of the pandemic? Sweaty shoulders.Crowded rooms. Pressed flesh. Anything to remind us what connection feels like within thearchitecture of our bodies. It might seem counterintuitive, then, to voluntarily start a cross-country, fully remote band in a post-COVID world, right? Yesness begs to differ.Even as the obstacles to meaningful connection mount into an Everest-ian hurdle, artistsnevertheless find ways to bend the technologies of our days to foster visceral humanconnection, rather than bereft isolation. Comprised of a West Coast bassist (Kristian Dunn of ElTen Eleven) and an Appalachia-adjacent drummer (Damon Che of Don Caballero), Yesnessforges a friendship mediated through the language of collaboration, all formed through emailedsong sketches and text exchanges of Van Halen demos.The odd couple of Dunn and Che was the result of some clever musical matchmaking by KarlHofstetter, founder and curator of Joyful Noise Recordings. Karl introduced Dunn and Che viaemail in April 2023 after Dunn’s prolific output outgrew the resources and abilities of hisinstrumental duo El Ten Eleven. Less than a year later, after countless text messages and songsketches were exchanged, and one fateful meeting at a recording studio was organized, theirnascent project’s debut record,See You at the Solipsist Convention,was complete.Despite Che’s initial unfamiliarity with Dunn’s musical output, their personalities bridged any andall gaps—both Che and Dunn share a flair for the comically absurd and musically adventurous,a mindset that shines throughoutSee You at the Solipsist Convention. Che has becomelegendary for his calculated polyrhythms and undeniable physicality, while Dunn is known forrelentless experimentation and productivity akin to a freight train. Quickly, this unlikely pairtransformed into destined collaborators.“We were ships in the night of the musical variety until Karl found a way to merge our paths,”Che said of his introduction to Dunn. “There are very few comparisons in the aesthetic approachto how we created the music. We worked remotely for eight months before physically meetingfor the first time at the recording studio.”Neck-deep in their own ambitions, Che and Dunn swapped musical ideas and quirky song titlesthroughout the summer, working at a breakneck pace.Star Warsreferences were intertwinedwith walloping bass lines (“If You Say So”); non-sequiturs were punctuated by Che’s signaturefrenetic percussive jabs (“Horror Snuggle”). Scaffolded around eight-string bass, knottypercussion, and intricate syncopation,See You at the Solipsist Conventionis a carnival ofdelights for fans of the post-everything persuasion—uncategorizable yet reverent to the altar ofinstrumental rock.See You at the Solipsist Conventionruns the gamut in both sonic tone and emotional tenor."Occasional Grape?" dances like a waltz played with a sledgehammer—delicate momentsshattered by bursts of aggression, while still embedding a rhythmic earworm deep into yourheart. “Nice Walrus,” a string-studded panorama featuring Kishi Bashi, volleys between nervy

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   hyperactivity and heartfelt grandeur. The album's closing track, "Non-incredible Visitor,"contrasts Che's meticulous precision with Dunn's imaginative instrumentation, bonding bass andpercussion like nesting dolls. Just as the track seems to settle, it drives off an unchartedauditory cliff—abruptly, without ceremony, leaving the listener grasping for meaning in the murk.Tearing through the record’s evocative instrumentals is a delightful bolt of strangeness, felt asmuch as heard in the spontaneous chemistry between Che and Dunn. The song titles resemblepersonality-driven Rorschach tests, each obscure pair linked to an anecdote or conversationbetween the two. At its core,See You at the Solipsist Conventionreflects a deep reverence andundeniable trust between bandmates. Dunn's fingers danced eagerly, caught in the thrill ofanticipating Che's next musical move throughout the recording process."Oneself may not necessarily be the most gifted observer of the potential of their creation,” Chesays. “It may take someone else to recognize the significance and then foster it into a muchbetter and more poignant existence than oneself would do all on their own."Beyond all measure, Yesness stands as a testament to the powerful dividends of friendship andcollaboration. We are nothing without each other – our partners, our local record store clerks,our neighbors. Music, too, thrives on our entanglements. With twelve tracks, an upcoming tour,and an unexpected friendship stemming from one email, Yesness underscores the brilliantmachinery of human connection