YENDYS | INTERVIEW + TRACK REVIEW

Sydney’s Inner West rockers Yendys—Sam, Shane, Harry and Nick—are four mates navigating office jobs, rising rehearsal-room costs and the creeping suspicion that escape from the nine-to-five may no longer be possible. Fortunately, they have loud guitars, a shared love of palindromes and a reliable supply of small appliances to raffle off at their shows.

Their rowdy, tongue-in-cheek rock ’n’ roll finds honesty in the everyday frustrations of working life without surrendering to cynicism. Guided by the mantra “mates, music, memories,” Yendys make music as a reprieve from the mundane—and as a reminder that doing something purely for the joy of it still matters. In the interview below, they discuss Bad Case of the Mondays, the meaning of a missing HiFi, Sydney’s Inner West music community and why the kettles are probably here to stay.

TRACK REVIEW - Bad Case Of The Mondays

Bad Case of the Mondays is reminiscent of old Aussie pub rock, that same sweaty atmosphere with a bit of pub punk mixed in for good measure. It's the kind of rock I love. Puts you straight in a smaller Sydney pub, beer in hand, screaming the words back at the stage with a room full of strangers who are doing the exact same thing.

The guitar rhythm is the engine of the whole thing. It carries through every section and really kicks the song in the ass, giving it the shove it needs to become that kind of song, the one you don't just listen to but end up moving with, whether you meant to or not.

Yendys is Sydney backwards. Was that a happy accident someone realised at the pub or a considered choice, and does spelling your city in reverse actually change anything about the way you see it?

The members of Yendys can neither confirm nor deny any prior knowledge or consideration that the name of the band is 'Sydney' backwards... The lore and mythology of the name runs deep and is therefore impossible to recount in a practical manner here.

However, we do enjoy the practice of reversing something as a way of inviting a fresh perspective. Thinking about Sydney like that is a great way to break out of the typical negative spiral, where we get stuck fixating on all the stuff that's not great about living here and remembering to be grateful and aware of the privilege we do have.

"Bad Case of the Mondays" is a song about office tedium written by four people at a stage of life where most bands are still trying to escape ever having an office job. Where does the specificity of the misery come from?

Sadly, escape is no longer possible for us... all 4 of us are up to our necks in the quicksand of the 9-5. So the specificity of the misery comes from current, personal experience. Again, being aware of our privilege means the song has a big 'tongue in cheek' lens over it. We aren't that jaded... yet.

The bio talks about the "golden thread of friendship and sharp needle of rock 'n roll" like you're stitching society back together. That's a big claim wrapped in a joke. What's the actual thing you think a band can do for people right now?

We do this because we love it. We have a mantra of sorts we use to remind us of that (mates, music, memories).What we hope we do for people as a band is give them some escape or reprieve from the mundane and remind them that it's not only ok, but essential to do some things for the sake of it. Be spontaneous, be silly and dance your heart out at the local rock 'n'roll show or spin a new record in the living room. Of course doing that also supports Aussie artists and the venues keeping live music alive.

You give away small appliances at your gigs. That's a specific bit of chaos. Whose idea was it, what's the wildest thing you've handed out, and what does that ritual do for the room?

We wanted to do something different and also give back to the punters at our shows. So we landed on the classic raffle, and it just so happens that one of us has an in with a local small appliances manufacturer... no brainer. The go to give aways are toasters or kettles because everyone needs one, will use it and it's easy to carry/sign for us.Some might say the energy in the room peaks during the raffle... so when we launch into the 2nd half of the show we have to work harder to lift it up again... A blessing and a curse.

The lyric "I keep on getting up just to let myself down" is one of the more quietly devastating lines to sit inside a song this rowdy. Do you feel like the humour is a delivery system for the honesty, or the honesty is what keeps the humour from becoming pure schtick?

We like that lyric and its influence on the song's vibe. It is a simple 'tongue in cheek' pub rock song (which is in danger of becoming pure schtick) but we think that line takes the very literal complaints/gags in the verses (sore back, lost my phone, running late etc.) and contextualises them in the reality that we often struggle doing what we have to do to get by.

If I Had A HiFi is a title that sounds like a wish, a joke and an admission all at once. What does the missing HiFi represent for a band in 2026 who technically don't need one to make or share their music?

Having a great HiFi set up is a lot like having a great haircut... you don't technically need one but things are so much better when you have one. And to be honest, we just love a palindrome.

The bridge answer to office life is "Work from home today." Read charitably that's a joke, read cynically it's a surrender. Which one did you mean when you wrote it, and how has that meaning shifted since?

It's definitely meant as a joke. But like all good jokes, it's grounded in truth. We think it's true that WFH can offer some respite when the work week is getting too hectic. Which is a surrender of sorts.

Sam, Shane, Harry, Nick. Four person bands can lock in fast or fracture fast. What's the actual dynamic that makes Yendys work, and what does everyone bring that the other three can't?

Our design/improv background, which is all about empathy and building on ideas is the foundation of the dynamic. This underpins our democratic, equal philosophy.Sam is the quick witted extrovert, Shane is the blue sky thinker, Nick is by far the best musician and Harry does the project management.

Sydney's Inner West has a very specific rock lineage. Do you think of yourselves as inheriting that tradition, running from it, or just trying to book rehearsal space and hoping the rent stays affordable?

Booking a rehearsal space is becoming a big problem...We love being a very small part of the Inner West scene. We want to see it thrive, instead of just surviving. But yes, the rock heritage of the community does mean a lot to us and if we are helping it in any way stay relevant then that's all we can ask for.

If Yendys is one of the bands trying to hold things together in a fractured moment, what does success look like to you five years from now? Still handing out kettles, or something bigger?

I think we're stuck with the raffles. We've well and truly made our beds there...Success 5 years from now looks like; still making music together in whatever form that takes. Hopefully as part of a big and loving community. Like we said before, we do this because we love it. So that's reason enough for us.

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