Yot Club Keeps it Simple

If you’ve spent any time online in the last few years, you’ve probably crossed paths with Yot Club's hazy melodies and quietly devastating one-liners. With Simpleton, his upcoming album, Ryan Kaiser turns that inward gaze outward: interrogating projection, suburban comfort, and the quiet ways we detach from each other and ourselves.

Across the record, he peels back the polished veneer of the American Dream, trading irony for intention and asking what happens when comfort curdles into complacency. Ahead of the release, we caught up with Kaiser to talk about rebuilding “Here & Now,” self-awareness (personal and political), and why the simplest ideas can carry the heaviest weight.

Starting at the beginning: “YKWIM?” has a billion streams. Do you remember when your life split into a before and after?

Yeah for sure, when I made that song I was in school and working 2 jobs. I just expected everything to go back to normal after a couple of weeks but the song kept growing. I had a hard time wrapping my head around it and even when money started to come in I was scared to spend it. I thought maybe Spotify had glitched and they were going to make me give it back. Or maybe it was like a Truman Show situation and everyone was laughing at me. I was coming up with whole conspiracy theories because it just didn’t make sense. Up until that point the project had been a way for me to shout into the void so when that song got all that attention I felt super super exposed. I’m very grateful but I wish I had enjoyed the moment more, it mostly made me really anxious.

How do you approach making new music/songwriting?

I used to come up with ideas and immediately start recording. I would jot down lyrics while I recorded and usually have the whole thing written by the time the instruments were tracked. But for the new album I made an effort to slow down and think everything through more. I recorded demos for the whole thing and worked out all the kinks before I started recording the final versions. It’s hard to delay the gratification like that but it’s worth it in the long run.

Tell me about your single, “Projecting” and the process of making it.

I wanted to make a song about dealing with someone who is obviously projecting but I didn’t want it to be super pointed and accusatory. So I thought about ways that I’ve projected in the past and wrapped it around to being about that. It was one of the first songs I recorded for Simpleton and it kind of set the tone aesthetically. I wanted to relax and lean into simpler ideas that I may have avoided in the past out of fear of being basic.

Do you think projection is just a relationship flaw, or something cultural—how we all move through the world now?

I don’t know if it’s more common or if it’s just something I’ve become more aware of. I feel like everyone does it from time to time but people with self awareness usually realize it and catch themselves. But definitely not just a relationship thing I feel like half of politics is projection.

You sing, “I’m like a dog when you walk towards the door.” What kind of dog?

I would have to say a Norwegian Behund. That’s what my dog Dovie is. If you listen closely with good headphones you can hear her barking in the background at that part.

Rank the cast in the "Projection" video from your favorite to least favorite. Kidding. Sorry. Tell me about why you chose each person!

Jordana bullied me the whole day and kept making Weird Al style parodies of the song so she is least favorite JK I love her. Her and Anton are dating so they were a package deal. Payton opened for me on tour last year with her project Faerybaby and we’ve been good friends since. And Blake is my friend and I am a big fan of his music project Blaketheman1000. Some amazing cameos in that video and I am very grateful.

Is it fair to say Simpleton is about peeling the paint off the American Dream? What’s underneath?

Yeah that’s kind of a good way to put it, I feel like it’s also kind of questioning the dream itself and if it’s really this guaranteed happiness that people think.

Tell me about the inspiration for your new single “Here & Now” and the process of making it.

I was writing a bunch of monotone robotic melodies at the time. I like when you take a melody that sounds like a 6 Dogs song and put it over some acoustic guitar.

One of the lyrics is, "Take away the pain I'm feeling." What do you do when times get tough? I think my therapist would refer to this as "self soothing.”

I have to force myself to go outside. Which was tough when I lived in the northeast because sometimes the weather would suck for a week straight. But now that I’m in LA there’s no excuses. Also if I feel stagnant I like to cook a good meal I feel like that puts the train back on the tracks.

Have you ever been on a yacht? Be honest.

Yes I went on a Carnival cruise ship with my family when I was a kid, does that count?

Tell the folks at home what they can expect from your upcoming tour.

I’m playing a bunch of songs off Simpleton but also playing a bunch of classics. I think 21 songs total. Oh and a Weezer cover.