The Austin 100: Yumi Zouma

By Stephen Thompson

Published March 17, 2020 at 5:01 AM EDT

Hometown: Christchurch, New Zealand

Genre: Pop

Why We're Excited: The dream-pop band Yumi Zouma formed in Christchurch, New Zealand, only to spread its members all over the world — not only Christchurch and Wellington, but also London and New York. That sense of feeling stretched thin and far from home informs the group's songwriting, but Yumi Zouma's chemistry remains undeniable: "Cool for a Second" perfectly evokes the soft melancholy of doomed romance, even as it floats along like a dandelion spore on a spring breeze.

Listen to Yumi Zouma's "Cool For A Second"

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Stephen Thompson

Stephen Thompson is a writer, editor and reviewer for NPR Music, where he speaks into any microphone that will have him and appears as a frequent panelist on All Songs Considered. Since 2010, Thompson has been a fixture on the NPR roundtable podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which he created and developed with NPR correspondent Linda Holmes. In 2008, he and Bob Boilen created the NPR Music video series Tiny Desk Concerts, in which musicians perform at Boilen's desk. (To be more specific, Thompson had the idea, which took seconds, while Boilen created the series, which took years. Thompson will insist upon equal billing until the day he dies.)

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