Nick Zinner on the return of Yeah Yeah Yeahs: ditching amps, embracing EBow and his early love of Eddie Van Halen

Nick Zinner and Karen O of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs perform on stage during Riot Fest 2022 at Douglass Park on September 18, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois.
(Image credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

A nearly 10-year gap sits between Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Mosquito full-length from 2013 and their brand-new Cool It Down, so the first thing fans will notice is… well… the much-loved trio are back!

Through early album teases Spitting Off the Edge of the World and Burning, fans also might have noticed that the scrappily streamlined sound of early Yeah Yeah Yeahs has become plusher and more immersive – both singles are wide-scope anthems blanketed in either opal swathes of synth or symphonic string production. As the band’s resident guitarist, Nick Zinner is keenly aware of the more supportive and nuanced role his six-string plays on Cool It Down, too.

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Gregory Adams

Gregory Adams is a Vancouver-based arts reporter. From metal legends to emerging pop icons to the best of the basement circuit, he’s interviewed musicians across countless genres for nearly two decades, most recently with Guitar World, Bass Player, Revolver, and more – as well as through his independent newsletter, Gut Feeling. This all still blows his mind. He’s a guitar player, generally bouncing hardcore riffs off his ’52 Tele reissue and a dinged-up SG.