The Yagas – She’s Walking Down

Following their dynamic debut this past fall, alt rock band The Yagas has released their new single “She’s Walking Down” along with its official music video, directed by frontwoman Vera Farmiga.

On “She’s Walking Down,” the independent quintet – also featuring Renn Hawkey of Deadsy (keys), Jason Bowman (drums), Mark Visconti (guitar) and Mike Davis (bass) – make brilliant use of vocoder-enhanced vocals, pummeling guitar riffs, and viscerally chilling effects to fully immerse the listener in a brutal but exhilarating tale of violence and vengeance.

The track’s hauntingly beautiful music video – the first piece of art directed by the Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress in 15 years – depicts a dark dream that Farmiga repeatedly had about her young daughter in peril, set against a soundscape of unbridled rage and trauma. It’s a story of escape, self-defense, despair, telepathy, empathy, and the many things that cause a parent’s biggest fears.

“I’d been reading a lot about child trafficking, which eventually entered my dreamscape,” shares Farmiga. “As a way to work out my fear, I decided to write a song where the protagonist from those nightmares turns the tables on her abuser and finally puts an end to everything.” 

The Yagas introduced their elaborate sonic world last fall with their powerful debut single “The Crying Room.” The song sets Farmiga’s beguiling vocals against a backdrop of serpentine guitar riffs, moody synth lines, and tempestuous rhythms supplied by Bowman and Davis. Paired with a darkly enchanting video co-starring Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hütz (also of Ukrainian descent), the primally cathartic track was partly inspired by the horrors endured by Farmiga’s extended family since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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