Jealous Yellow, of Seattle-based alt rock band Laminate, sets out to describe the true definition of insanity by means of analogue angst, grunt, and melody, on his upcoming sophomore release “Czech Vampires”. The album is set to release fall 2024 courtesy of German independent label Erste Theke Tonträger.
“Czech Vampires” is a collection of songs conceived in a plague-ridden hostel off of Krymská street in Prague, District 10. The album is a post punk/new wave dark comedy nightmare, highlighting the backdoors of a traumatized mind and its longing to experience life rather than the fight to survive it. It tells its story by screaming onto ½” tape, interviewing real life vampires, and by sing-a-long pop melodies about Piñatas and fresh white sneakers. In its conclusion, the “vampire” eventually sucks the life out of you, but in our last gasping breath for air, we scoff and laugh.
Jealous Yellow is the musical moniker of Filipino-American and Seattle-native, Benjamin Rea, whose solo project emerged from the coronavirus era. With the use of portastudios and tape machines, Yellow quickly repurposed his studio apartment into a recording studio. In the summer of 2021, Yellow released his debut record, “Sugarweeper '' which he toured across Europe shortly after. The tour came to a grinding halt, however, after contracting COVID in the Czech Republic; Yellow was forced to quarantine in Prague, which had an immense influence on how this latest album started to take form.
Jealous Yellow is a composer, writer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is also a notable contributor for Seattle-based projects such as Laminate, Diirt, Reverse Death, and Soda Gumball. Dave Segal of The Stranger described Laminate’s music as, “[mastering] Sonic Youth's aptitude for turning guitars into facsimiles of tolling bells. Competing with shouted vocals, distorted guitar pedals weirded up Laminate's straight-ahead rock attack.” Many of Yellow’s associated acts have opened for bands such as Deeper, They are Gutting a Body of Water, Oruã, Prism Bitch, Gift, and many more. Jealous Yellow is also the founder of nano record label Sifter Grim which is a DIY platform and outlet for most projects of his and his contemporaries.
