Ten years in, Yawn Mower hasn’t drifted far from where it began. Rooted in New Jersey, the band has grown in size and sound, yet its foundation is still tied to the place that shaped it. “I personally would only want to be celebrating a ten-year anniversary with New Jersey,” explained frontman Mike Chick. “I don’t know if I would rather be in any other state than this beautiful state.”

Their genre-blurring sound and playful lyrics are a staple of their voice, but that voice hasn’t always been so defined. “When we first started, we were just a two-piece; we were very scrappy, we were just trying to be loud and fast,” said drummer Biff Swenson. “It was all about energetic shows and having fun at gigs, and the longer we have been a band, the lineup has evolved, and the songwriting has evolved. We started with singles and covers, but as the band grew, we put two full-length albums out back-to-back. We are definitely more creatively fruitful the longer we have been at it.”

Yawn Mower has built their place within the New Jersey music scene over the last decade. The band has earned “Band of the Year” honors from Makin Waves, performing at Sea.Hear.Now and releasing two full-length albums while expanding from a two-piece into a full band, as well as performing beyond the bounds of the Jersey Shore. “The last tour [when out of state], everybody brought up Bruce Springsteen immediately, and we try to bring up other Jersey acts to broaden the palette of what other New Jersey bands are out there that we are influenced by,” said Chick. 

Yawn Mower currently consists of Chick and Swenson, as well as Rudy Meier on lead guitar, Nicole Scorsone on violin, and Dana Yurcisin on bass. Chick and Swenson learned to create, adapt, and grow together while letting other creatives into their band. 

“Every time you let chefs into a room, you are going to have arguments about parts, but it has been relatively easy…Adding people who all write their own songs that all have very big musical personalities, I mean, the chances are we probably should have failed,” Chick said.

Yawn Mower’s latest album, I Just Can’t Wait to Die, was released on August 15, 2025. The album title – consisting of typical Yawn Mower humor – reflects the album’s themes of life, both the good and the bad. 

Every member of Yawn Mower has their own solo careers where they create music during the band’s off-season. “We usually do a Yawn Mower record, and then everyone’s band throws out a record, and then we are back to the writing process in early winter,” Biff explained. 

Swenson continued, “For our crew, comedy is a coping mechanism; it is very obvious. We are perpetually trying to make each other laugh and be in good spirits. I’ll be stressed and sad, and I’ll cry alone, but it is nice to have homies who put making each other laugh first. That is why we get along and why we are a decade deep into being a band.”

“It is humorous, but it is dark because it reflects the times we are living in, and it is an answer to that,” Chick added. “When we decided that was going to be the album title, we were nervous about it because it is a polarizing title and it could be offensive towards people, but the response has been pretty positive and funny. People just kind of look at you and be like, ‘I get it.’”

That push and pull defines the record and provides humor in areas with the weight of heavy themes. “When I listen to Mike’s lyrics, he is very matter-of-fact and articulate about everyday things, and when you go into the minute details of those things, it is very obvious we are trying to live life to the fullest, not necessarily the longest,” Swenson joked. “It is both positive and negative to me. Death is omnipresent in our lives, so it is omnipresent in our lyrics, not necessarily intentionally.”

“We all have to go through death, so why not talk about it more and be more open about it?” said Chick. “I think it is a good balance to have some lightness and darkness because that is life itself.”

Balance is something that has come to define the band – whether it be between solo and group projects, humor and heaviness, or the constant push and pull of creating together – and through it all, music is always at the center of it. “We are definitely more creatively fruitful the longer we have been at it,” Swenson concluded.

Photo courtesy of Mike Chick | Interviewed on December 17, 2025