Nicholas Galanin is one of the most vital voices in contemporary art. Born in Sheet'ka (Sitka, Alaska), Galanin is Tlingit and Unangax^; he creates from his perspective as an Indigenous man. His work calls for an accounting of the damages done to land and life by unfettered capitalism while envisioning and advocating alternate possibilities. For the 2020 Biennale of Sydney, he excavated the shape of the shadow cast by the monumental statue of Captain James Cook, a call for the burial of monuments to violent histories, which ArtNEWS and Artsy called a defining work of 2020. Land Swipe-a painted deer hide that depicts the NYC subway map, marked with selected sites of police violence against Black youth-was called one of "the most important art moments in 2020" by The New York Times. His work spans sculpture, video, installation, photography, jewelry and music; advocating Indigenous sovereignty, racial, social and environmental justice, for present, and future generations. His debut as Ya Tseen ("be alive," and a reference to his Tlingit name Yeil Ya Tseen) is Indian Yard, his first album for Sub Pop. Rich with emotional range and sharp awareness, Indian Yard explores love, desire, frustration, pain, revolution, and connection through the magnetic expressions of an Indigenous mind. These 11 tracks put Galanin, Ya Tseen, and Indigenous art at large in a current musical conversation with the likes of Moses Sumney and TV on the Radio, FKA Twigs and James Blake. Indian Yard is a profound record of liberation and an implicit act of protest, making it's case by facing the intersection of past, present, and future realities. In a nod to Sun Ra, "Gently To The Sun" mentions "meds for a nightmare"-an apt description for a record that offers a much-needed antidote for what now ails us personally and universally. This is not, by any means, Galanin's first album. He has released a steady stream of records under a panoply of aliases, including Silver Jackson and Indian Agent. He has worked with the likes of Meshell Ndegeocello, Tanya Tagaq, and Samantha Crain. And for the better part of a decade, he's also been part of the revolutionarily borderless art collective Black Constellation alongside Shabazz Palaces and THEESatisfaction. Galanin brings all that experience and his partnerships to bear on the highly collaborative songs of Indian Yard. Galanin began working on the record in 2017 while going back and forth between his home in Sitka Alaska and Juneau where he was carving a totem pole. The album entwines falling in love and the birth of a child with the urgency of current social and environmental justice movements to tear down destructive systems and build anew. He shared the concepts with bandmates Zak D. Wass and Otis Calvin III and together they collaborated to build the album alongside longtime collaborator Benjamin Verdoes. During strings of sessions in Sitka and Seattle, a cast of brilliant friends-Shabazz Palaces, Nick Hakim, fellow Indigenous Alaskan singer and songwriter Qacung, fellow Alaskans Portugal. The Man (whom Galanin counts as friends and allies for social and environmental justice), Stas THEE Boss (THEESatisfaction), to name a few-helped turn Indian Yard into a cataract of intensely current pop wonders. Indian Yard is a compelling document of humanity centered in an Indigenous perspective. Created by one of the world's foremost Indigenous artists, the irrepressible Indian Yard is an intense illumination of feeling and connection.
Release date:
April 30, 2021
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Cartridges - Top Picks
A selection of turnatble cartridges that provide great performance and sound quality
-
Phono Preamps - Top Picks
A selection of the best phono preamps for your turntable setup
-
Ortofon 2M Blue Premounted
Mounted on the SH-4 Black Headshell, this setup delivers exceptional clarity, dynamic range, and accurate sound reproduction.
-
Audioengine A2 Plus
Precision-engineered 2.75-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter, featuring built-in DAC and Bluetooth connectivity for seamless integration.
-
Nobsound Little Bear T7 Tube Preamp
Delivers rich, warm audio through its high-quality vacuum tubes, featuring multiple inputs and adjustable gain
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Lola Young I'm Only F**king Myself (The 'Basic B*tch' Edition Nude Pink)
Island
September 19, 2025 -
Grizzly Bear Yellow House (Cream White) [2xLP]
Warp Records
October 17, 2025 -
Angel Of Damnation Ethereal Blasphemy
Dying Victim Productions
July 25, 2025 -
White Reaper Only Slightly Empty
Blue Grape Music
September 26, 2025 -
Mayday Parade Monster In The Closet (10th Anniversary; Orchid) [2xLP]
Craft Recordings
July 11, 2025 -
Swell Season Forward
Masterkey Sounds
July 11, 2025 -
Osees Abomination Revealed At Last
Deathgod Corp
August 8, 2025 -
Conan Gray Wishbone (Black Cat Edition)
Republic Records
August 15, 2025 -
Sabrina Carpenter Man's Best Friend (Light Blue)
Island
August 29, 2025 -
Racebannon Orcutt Shelley Miller
Silver Current
September 5, 2025 -
John McLaughlin Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2022 [2xLP]
Earmusic
August 8, 2025 -
Knosis Genknosis (Translucent Crystal)
Sharptone Records
August 1, 2025 -
Burna Boy No Sign Of Weakness
Atlantic
July 11, 2025 -
Arcadea Arcadea
Relapse
August 22, 2025