New Zealand Indie Pop Band Yumi Zouma Blends Darkness and Light with the Deceptively Danceable “Mona Lisa”

“Mona Lisa” is the title of a new single from Yumi Zouma, a New Zealand-based indie/pop band with three studio albums under its belt.

Debuted on Thursday, the song is an upbeat, danceable slice of dream/pop complete with a saxophone outro — but its aesthetic charm belies the darkness under the surface, lyrics coming from a place of disillusionment and chaos of the type we all experienced during COVID-19 lockdown.

Here’s vocalist/keyboardist Christie Simpson on the inspiration behind the song:

“’Mona Lisa’ came to us gradually over a long period of time – so its story has changed and shifted, developing new relevance with each new phase of our lives. It’s a song that ruminates on conflicting, shifting uncertainty – of wanting someone that maybe you can’t have – of uncertain boundaries, of confusing interactions, misunderstanding, yearning. Trying to forget an obsession – or shifting between losing all hope and giving in to the obsession – lured back by the excitement and promise – the moments of feeling so alive. The terror and joy of a big crush.

And so we wanted the video to feel like a mirror to all those emotions along the passage of time – except in isolation. A year stuck inside (as we have been), alone with the big feelings, the big highs, and the low lows – dancing around your bedroom, losing it a little bit. Moving in, making it yours, moving out again. The strange phase we’ve been existing in, trying to thrive in (occasionally succeeding, but often not). The joy, the sadness, the conflict, the chaos – without ever really leaving your bedroom.”

🚨𝕹𝖊𝖜 𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖑𝖊 𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖗𝖙!🚨

Please meet Mona Lisa👩‍🎨

Please note that it features the longest Saxophone solo of our discography to date 🎷

Listen like it's 1519 https://t.co/aZHN3EetVx

— Yumi Zouma (@YumiZouma) November 11, 2021

“Mona Lisa” is the second song shared by Yumi Zouma this year, following September’s “Give It Hell”:

In addition to the new song,  Yumi Zouma detailed a run of tour dates for the spring, first overseas and then with a 21-date U.S. trek wrapping up on May 6 in San Diego:

EUROPE
03/17 – Birmingham, UK @ The Sunflower Lounge
03/18 – London, UK @ Lafayette
03/19 – Manchester, UK @ Yes
03/21 – Dublin, Ireland @ Whelan’s
03/22 – Glasgow, UK @ King Tut’s
03/24 – Paris, France @ Le Hasard Ludique
03/25 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique
03/27 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
03/28 – Hamburg, Germany @ Turmzimmer
03/29 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Ideal Bar Vega
03/31 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Obaren
04/01 – Oslo, Norway @ Krxsset
04/03 – Berlin, Germany @ Burg Schnabel
04/04 – Warsaw, Poland @ Praga Centrum

U.S.
04/07 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
04/08 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
04/09 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
04/12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
04/13 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
04/14 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
04/15 – Portsmouth, NH @ The Press Room
04/16 – Montréal, QC @ Petit Campus
04/17 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
04/18 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
04/20 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
04/21 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
04/22 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
04/23 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
04/25 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
04/28 – Vancouver, BC @ The Fox Cabaret
04/29 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
04/30 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
05/04 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
05/05 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
05/06 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah