You Fantastic!

You Fantastic!

You Fantastic! emerged in the late 1990s as a creative evolution from the band Yona-Kit, minus members K.K. Null and Jim O’Rourke. The project brought together Darin Gray and Thymme Jones, both formerly of Yona-Kit, with Tim Garrigan from Dazzling Killmen. This collaboration resulted in the release of two EPs and one full-length album, all issued on the Skin Graft label. In keeping with the label's distinctive style, the band was given a cartoon mascot named Curious Brown, who was reportedly related to another Skin Graft character, Serious Brown.

Early Releases

The band's initial output consisted of two EPs: Riddler, released in 1996, and Pals, released in 1997. The EP Riddler was notably described by Alternative Press as a piece where "It’s as if someone drew a series of octagons and triangles on a cue card, held it before the trio and said, `Here, play this.’ And they did, with facility, then they snipped out anything resembling harmony, broadcast the result over shortwave radio and re-recorded it onto 56 tracks."

Full-Length Debut and Dissolution

You Fantastic!'s sole full-length album, Homesickness, was released by Skin Graft in 1998. The Wire magazine highlighted the band's musical versatility, noting their ability to craft "spaced out minimalism with lazily seesawing brass chords" alongside "splattercore guitar explosions." The publication also observed their skill in using "clanking riffs" to build anticipation for "louder outbursts of guitar." Following the release of Homesickness, the band ceased activity, with its members moving on to other musical endeavors. Darin Gray went on to play with Grand Ulena and On Fillmore, the latter alongside Glenn Kotche. Thymme Jones has continued his work with the band Cheer-Accident.

Discography