LA-based artist Ian Kieffer aka Youth Basketball releases new single “No Reason”.

Written by Kieffer and co-produced with Avi Durchfort and Charlie Bond, “No Reason” is a song about how things just happen in life. How, to me, there’s no meaning. I liken life to when one ‘breaks’ in a game of pool. You hit the rack, the balls scatter, and whatever happens, happens. If you want to create your own meaning in the randomness, go ahead, but don’t pretend like you have the definitive answer,” explains Kieffer.

The new single is accompanied by a lyric video showcasing retro billiards footage.

Youth Basketball has sold out headlining shows at Los Angeles venues like Hotel Cafe and Resident, and has supported artists like Juice and Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers.

“No Reason” is now available.

Introduce yourself - what's your story?

My name is Ian Kieffer, and my project is Youth Basketball. I started out in New York playing under my own name, but when I moved to back to my hometown of Los Angeles, I began Youth Basketball, rounded up some sweet little musicians and here we are. I'm tall and skinny with nice legs.

How would you define Youth Basketball, the artist?

Youth Basketball is a lot of things. It's wacky, it's loose, it's fun. But it can also be contemplative and thoughtful. The main thing is I want audiences to be thoughtlessly entertained, but also thoughtlessly moved. No thoughts. Just feelings.

"No Reason" is your new single. What's the inspiration behind it?

I wrote "No Reason" after a very common, not-particularly eventful moment. A person I was into wasn't that into me. So, I gave up and thought, "Well, I tried. You win some, you lose some. There's no reason." So, that was it. But the meaning of the song is so much bigger than that situation.

Who helped you create this particular song? Could you describe us the songwriting/production process? When did you start working on it?

I write all my songs by myself. In a dark cavernous void, separated from humanity. It all came very quickly, in one sitting, which isn't always the case for me. That was probably around August 2019, then I brought it to my friends, Avi Durchfort and Charlie Bond, a great producing team, and we made it nice and sexy from there. The whole process probably took a few months. I wasn't rushing anything.

What made you want to release "No Reason" as a single?

I think it's a little different sounding than earlier YB work, so I wanted to let it sit by itself and highlight that. Plus I think there's a meaning behind the song that all people can get behind.

What can you tell us about the artwork?

I work exclusively with my good friend, Riley Mate A.K.A Pseudo Dudo. He's the best in the biz and always delivers the goods. Recently we discussed how we see life, all life, as just one big pool game, and the Big Bang as the initial break. From there, the balls (us) just scatter in random directions. Some go in the pockets, most of them knock into each other, and they end up where they end up. There's no reason for it. So, with that in mind, we settled on the pool theme with the balls spelling out the track name.

What biggest lesson have you learned since your first release?

That you need to treat the release of every song or album with as much care and preciousness as writing and producing that song in the first place. I've been one to care so much about the writing process, which I think is good, but by the time we release the song, I'm kind of like, "Whatever, just toss it out there. I want to move onto the next track." It's a bit like handcrafting a great leather boot for yourself, then shooting yourself in the foot. Gotta give each track the proper love all the way through the entire process. It will only help it be heard by more people.

What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?

I don't know. To be honest, I don't particularly care. I'm not going to be the person who has the big ideas to mobilize revolutionary change. But I do wish Spotify listened less to the algorithm and more to the "song." A lot of highly successful artists on Spotify have songs that are just so whatever to me. I'm not trying to put anyone down, but I've been in the room with them. I've seen how they make the sausage, and it's so heartless. It's like: fat groovin' bass, solid R&B kick drum/snare, meaningless meandering vocals. Boom. Done. The audience turns it on in the background at parties and hangs to create a "vibe." But when those same artists that have half a million monthly listeners go out on tour, they can't even fill a 300 capacity room. It's strange.

As an artist, what are the biggest challenges?

It's still being heard. I'm sure it always will be. Online platforms allow for more artists than ever to be heard, but for the reasons I mentioned above, it's still hard. The record companies aren't the gatekeepers anymore. The Spotify playlist curators are. What will never change about the entertainment industry in general: it's who you know. Being talented isn't enough. You gotta get the right people to hear your shit.

How would you define success?

I'm going one step at a time. Right now, success would be a U.S tour opening for a bigger artist that I'm a fan of.

As a human being, what do you want to accomplish?

I don't really separate my life and my work. For me, they're the same thing. So I just want to focus on my small little corner of things and work and create as much of my best stuff as possible. As long as I don't hurt anyone or commit any crimes against humanity along the way, I'll be satisfied if I accomplish that.

In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?

Empathy. Kindness.

Connect with Youth Basketball:

Facebook

Instagram

Spotify