TRYING by Yellow Ostrich

The newest album, Trying (2025), is Yellow Ostrich’s most expansive to date—a 14-song collection that emerged after a prolonged creative drought and a sudden, feverish burst of inspiration, written largely over just three days.

The album was made with a star-studded list of Minneapolis legends — besides collaborating with the bandmates, it was recorded with Holly Hansen at Salon Sonics, and later mixed by Nat Harvie (Low, Circuit des Yeux, Laamar) and mastered by Alec Ness (Brittany Howard, Bonnie Prince Billy).

Over 14 songs, the album documents the quiet labor of emotional growth—the work of becoming a better partner, artist, and person without any promise of clarity or resolution. “I used to think I’d have things figured out by the time I was a fully-fledged ‘adult’” Schaaf says. “But I’ve come to realize that just ‘trying’ is the point (see what i did there?).”

Whether performing as a solo act or now as a fully realized band, Yellow Ostrich continues to carve out a space where vulnerability and experimentation go hand in hand. The sound has shifted, but the throughline remains: deeply human songs, still searching for something just out of reach.

Yellow Ostrich is a Minneapolis-based indie rock band led by Alex Schaaf, joined by Mickey Mahoney, Noa Dayton Francis, and Joey Hays. Their new album Trying (2025) is a sprawling 14-song effort written in a feverish burst and shaped by Minneapolis collaborators. It explores emotional growth, self-doubt, and the quiet work of becoming.

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