Cayucas

The sunny pop project of Santa Monica-based songwriter Zach Yudin, Cayucas pays tribute to the seaside town of Cayucos, California as well as the lighthearted sounds of the early to mid-'60s (for live shows, the project includes his twin brother Ben, Banah Winn, Casey Wojtalewicz, and Christian Koons). Formerly making music under the moniker Oregon Bike Trails, Yudin double majored in music theory/production and Japanese in college, and after spending a year in Tokyo after graduation, focused on perfecting Cayucas' sound. Sampling artists like Harry Belafonte, the Animals, and the Tornadoes and writing songs on acoustic guitar, he pieced together some nostalgic yet timeless-sounding songs that he posted online. After signing to Secretly Canadian Records, Yudin collaborated with producer Richard Swift, who added more original instrumentation to Cayucas' songs. The results were Bigfoot, a set of eight summery songs that arrived in April 2013.