| Y Pants | |
| Origin: | New York City, U.S. |
| Genre: | No wave, art rock, post-punk, noise music |
| Years Active: | 1979–1982 |
| Label: | 99 Records, Neutral Records |
| Past Members: | Barbara Ess Virginia Piersol Gail Vachon |
Y Pants were an American all-female no wave band from New York City active from 1979 to 1982.[1] The trio, made up of photographer/musician Barbara Ess, visual artist Virginia Piersol (aka Virge Piersol), and filmmaker Gail Vachon, developed a unique sound via their acoustic toy instrumentation of toy piano, ukulele and a paper-headed Mickey Mouse drum kit, augmented by electric bass guitar, Casio keyboards and various low-tech effects.[2]
Y Pants' feminist poetics and toy instrumentation made them a hit in Manhattans's art gallery scene, while their No Wave clout brought them to be regulars at punk rock venues like CBGB's. In 1980, Glenn Branca recorded their debut 4-song EP for 99 Records, followed by an LP two years later.[3] Lyrically, most of the Y-Pants' material covered the off-kilter aspects of relationships, with explorations into the perils of laundry ("Favorite Sweater"), materialism ("We Have Everything"), patriarchy ("That's The Way Boys Are"), and a reworking of Bertolt Brecht's "Barbara's Song" from Threepenny Opera. Musically they have been compared to their British post-punk contemporaries The Raincoats for their overlapping vocal choruses and kitchen-sinkish approach to sound, rhythm and composition.
Novelist and critic Lynne Tillman wrote the lyrics for the band's song "Obvious."[2]
Y-Pants disbanded shortly after the release of their album, reportedly reuniting each year on the various band members' birthdays.[4] Barbara Ess remained musically active throughout the 1980s, frequently contributing tracks to Tellus Audio Cassette Magazine and collaborating with Peggy Ahwesh on 2001's Radio Guitar for the Ecstatic Peace! label.