Hardly Art has signed youbet, the Brooklyn band led by songwriter Nick Llobet (they/them), to begin releasing their music to the world in 2023 and beyond.
In celebration of today’s news, youbet is sharing its first recorded material for the label today with the sweet, live-action video for “Carsick.” The visual is directed by Sadie Meadow, and features performance footage of Llobet and youbet live members Micah Prussack and Joanna Quinn. The charming video is also paired with illustrations from Jess Prussack, with additional animation by Meadow and Prussack.
The music youbet makes is filled with relentless bursts of color, commanding attention through lyrical intimacy and stunning instrumental arrangements. Driven by equal parts humor and melancholy, youbet finds delight in disorder, leaning into the completely unexpected with the aim of pure freedom. Their debut record, Compare and Despair, landed on Ba Da Bing Records in 2020. In the almost four years since, fueled by restless energy and a revitalized collaborative spirit, they have written, demoed, and recorded a catalog of treasures, ready to see the world.
“Carsick” confesses a tendency to overdo things, all with a charming frankness. Yearning for the sweetness of self-control yet unable to stop the car, Nick pushes forward into the ills of excess. Their clever self-deprecation takes the edge off as they admit to indulgent and, at times, self-destructive patterns. Not without nuance, they wonder if there’s ever an end in sight while acknowledging how immoderation feeds their own self-assurance. Llobet grounds these themes in faded memories of a past road trip with a lover as they come to grips with being a better partner, shaking off frenzy, and finding restraint.
youbet will support Fenne Lily at Brooklyn’s Union Pool on Wednesday, December 6th—additional live dates to be announced soon.
