Petey USA - The Yips

On The Yips, the Michigan-bred, L.A.-based genre maverick employs a surprising mix of alt-pop, pop-punk, indie electronica, and heartland rock to probe not just his own disillusionment, but that of precariously employed, quarterlife-crisis sufferers everywhere, struggling to make it through another day with their dreams intact. Produced by Chris Walla, the creative force behind Death Cab for Cutie, The Yips will be released on July 11 on Capitol Records. Pre-order / pre-save The Yips HERE. “A wordsmith at heart, Petey has a unique gift for flipping something painfully relatable into something both hilarious and deeply emotional,” said The Needle Drop, which spoke with Petey USA about the making of The Yips in this feature.

Petey USA will launch The Yips with sold-out album release shows at intimate venues in three cities: Chicago, Brooklyn and Los Angeles. He’ll support Rainbow Kitten Surprise on several East Coast dates in July and open for Zach Bryan on August 30 at Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, WV. See below for itinerary. Tickets are available HERE.

“Breathing the Same Air” comes on the heels of the release of “As Two People Drift Apart,” a track that sonically and thematically is a follow up to Petey USA’s “Don’t Tell The Boys,” which appeared on Lean Into Life, his debut album. View the official video for “As Two People Drift Apart” HERE, and see the new chapter in the adventures of Petey and Albon, which began in the video for “Don’t Tell The Boys.”

After cutting teeth in the early-2010s Midwest emo trenches, Petey USAintroduced himself on Lean Into Lifeas a DIY musical omnivore updating his Warped Tour influences with healthy doses of Modest Mousey indie-rock, dancefloor-ready synth-pop, glitchy textures, and even a touch of country. He also demonstrated a preternatural gift for impassioned, self-deprecating storytelling, leavened by a sardonic sense of humor. USA, his sophomore album, followed in 2023, and was hailed as “one of the most stirring rock releases of the year” by Paste. The Yips is Petey USA’s most eclectic and ambitious work yet — and also his most relatable. At the end of the day, he says, “I’m just singing about being there for your friends.”