Episode 01: yawnyblew
By Jack Toledo
Cult of Sound has officially launched its first podcast with multitalented artist Yawnyblew. Cult of Sound was founded in 2020 and is based in New York City. We are a collective of creatives evolving with the music industry through collaboration and passion. We make original music for campaigns, games, documentaries, and whatever else lands on our desk. Our first project was scoring for Vice's Emmy®-winning docuseries, VICE. That work set the tone for everything that followed: urgent, emotional, real.The podcast, like the studio, exists to center music in storytelling. Not just music as background, but music as a point of view. As a voice.
In our debut episode with Yawnyblew, host Anthony Baxter Puig, founder of Cult of Sound, facilitates a real conversation about artists redefining what it means to make music in today's digital landscape.
Yawnyblew began his career as a songwriter, but when the unexpected pause of COVID-19 occurred, instead of stopping, he pivoted, taking his music and transforming it into a personal brand.
"I knew music would come back, but I didn't know when," he says. "And I needed something to look forward to. So I started releasing songs—not just for others to hear, but for me to heal."
A therapeutic yet artistic approach to utilizing the lockdown, his music became a practice of reinvention.
Yawny's new self-branding was organized by employing strategy, and his work doesn't begin when you hit play. Instead, the experience starts much earlier—with the emotion behind the release.
"It's how you present it, the feeling around it, the colors, the captions, the photos. All of that tells the story," he explains.
This is an interesting note, considering it is not a strategy often utilized by artists who opt for a more analytical approach.
His branding, like his music, is transformative. "There's an expectation sometimes to box yourself in—to be just one thing," Yawnyblew says. "But I'm inspired by artists who are fluid, who don’t wait for permission to evolve.”
His inspirations are direct reflections of his work. As aspiring artists know, marketing is almost as important,as the quality of music itself. Yawny holds this dearly behind his projects: "I don’t want to just drop a song. I want it to feel like an event," Yawnyblew shares. "The rollout should give you something—anticipation, emotion, curiosity."
Yawny and Anthony offered listeners a glimpse into the psyche of an artist who is just as concentrated on the why as the how. Yawnyblew dives into everything from his artistic influences to why he avoids following trends, even touching on how sound can heal. Every decision he makes is thoughtful and intentional.
Throughout the episode, Anthony gives Yawnyblew the space to speak with transparency and vulnerability, adding fresh air to the podcast world that feels oversaturated with the same topics.
It's not just a podcast; it's a powerful reminder of the value of true artistry. Follow more of YawnyBlew’s thoughts, writing, and creative process at his Yawnyblew Substack. To close this episode with Yawnyblew's track Boy From Koszciosko.
And as always—mind the music.