Clap Your Hands Say Yeah brought their self-titled debut album to life at The Independent in San Francisco this week—and gave the kind of performance that felt handmade in all the best ways.
Nearly two decades after that 2005 release quietly disrupted the indie rock world, the band played the record start to finish, its mix of nervous energy and strange beauty still intact. But it wasn’t just nostalgia. The set was tight, urgent, and surprisingly physical. The drums hit hard, the basslines pushed forward, and the band locked into a groove that felt more alive than retrospective.
Alec Ounsworth, the band’s frontman and driving force, kept things characteristically understated. “No breaks in the tour so far,” he said, half smiling. “Spent but happy.” They’re heading to Portland next. He didn’t say it, but you could tell—this is a tour powered by muscle memory and momentum more than rest.
CYHSY has always operated outside the industry playbook. Their debut was self-released, and they’ve remained fiercely independent ever since. That DIY mindset was obvious on stage—from the stripped-back setup to the lighting, which was controlled live onstage via foot switch. Three rectangular light frames glowed, flickered, and pulsed behind the band, syncing up with the mood of each track in real time. It was subtle, low-key stunning, and very on brand.
The audience knew the words and the weirdness. They were album people—exactly the kind Alec gave a nod to mid-show: “I’m an album person,” he said. The crowd cheered. “Yay album people,” he deadpanned, not needing to say more.
The band sounded solid across the board, but “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth” stood out for its unexpectedly graceful lead guitar melody—melancholic and a little sideways, like much of the band’s best work. The whole thing had the feel of something fragile that held together because everyone wanted it to.
There was a moment of vulnerability, too, when Alec mentioned that bassist/keyboardist Todd D’Amico had gone to the hospital earlier that day. Possibly an anxiety attack. “Happy he’s alive,” Alec said, with a dry smile. “And didn’t fuck the show up.” Then: “Just kidding.” A voice from the crowd called back, “No you’re not,” and the moment broke into laughter.
That was the mood all night—raw edges, real talk, shared energy. A band still doing it their way, and a room full of people who still cared.
SOCIAL LINKS
cyhsy.com • facebook.com/clapyourhandssayyeah • open.spotify.com
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 2025 Tour Dates:
04/12 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Café
04/13 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
04/15 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
04/16 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird
05/02 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar and Hall
05/03 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
05/04 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
05/06 – Toronto, ON @ Great Hall
05/07 – Albany, NY @ The Egg
05/08 – Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
05/09 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
05/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
09/14 – Leffinge, BE @ Leffingeleuren Festival
09/16 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
09/18 – Paris, FR @ Gaité Lyrique
09/19 – London, UK @ EartH
09/20 – London, UK @ EartH
11/05 – Sydney, AU @ Metro Theatre
11/07 – Melbourne, AU @ Northcote Theatre
11/08 – Brisbane, AU @ The Triffid
11/11 – Auckland, NZ @ The Tuning Fork
