NOW YOU KNOW: EAR
Words by: Helena Allen Kalb
Graphics by: Eero Deosaran
Interviewer: “Wait, why are you guys called ear? I never asked you that.”
Paz: “That’s what you listen to music with. It’s literally like, that’s what you listen to music with.”
The two may have an unusual band name, but the Hudson Valley-based music duo Yaelle Avtan and Jonah Paz have been in the Indie limelight for quite a while now, whether you have heard of them or not. Paz and Avtan met at Bard College in 2024. They bonded over shared interests in Folk and Electronic music, and now undoubtedly carry the nonchalance of being in their early twenties and a part of an emerging Indie band.
They released their debut album, The Most Dear and the Future, in September 2025, and its tracks, such as “Real Life” and “Theorem,” garnered the band considerable attention. Most notably, they opened for Yung Lean, an internationally recognized Swedish rapper, in Canada on his “Forever Yung” tour in the fall of 2025 with only around 45 minutes of music to their name (at the time).
They recently signed with A24 Music to release their latest album, Rumpsringa, named after the Amish coming-of-age trial period in which teenagers are allowed to participate in non-Amish activities and are given a choice to remain Amish or enter society. The duo has said Rumspringa represents a choice and a second chance, and it follows similar musical elements to their previous album. The production work of Jonah Paz for ear (stylized lowercase) taps into fairly experimental, uncharted waters; their music falls into the emerging genre of “Laptop Twee,” which borrows the minimal beats and sharp synths from Electroclash and the jangly, naive vocals from Twee and Folk influences. The contrasting vocal dynamics between Avtan and Paz, combined with Paz’s ability to blend genres, create a unique and addictive listening experience. The music blends so many genres until it becomes a beast of its own.
Before I had the opportunity to see the duo in New York City in March 2026, I was a casual fan, but after I saw them, I was hooked. The duo’s nervous presence, plus the way they jolt around on stage in a seizure-like fashion, intrigued me. Right before their song “CMYK,” entrenched with heavy synths, I remember Paz whispering something into the microphone along the lines of “I hope you guys turn the f—k up, I guess, if you want to.” The beat dropped, and everyone erupted in unison. It was life-changing.
Their lyricism is also sparse and highly open to interpretation, but that makes it all the harder-hitting. Avtan sings “I won’t claim / To recognize / Endlessness / Sleep alone at night” on the title track, “The Most Dear and The Future,” inviting the listener to decode the ambiguous, murky narratives woven into the duo’s lyricism.
Jonah Paz has also proven to be a fairly prolific artist thus far in his career, producing music on his own and with different collaborators under several names: He has some more folk-leaning projects, such as his self-titled work, Radial, The Barns, and Love Egg, and more electronic projects under Sacred Holes and Canyon. His works remain scattered across SoundCloud and Spotify. Paz’s production and vocal work alongside Avtan also appear on the album Everybody’s Album by artist Danny Cole and popular YouTube creator Anthpo, but remain uncredited. Avtan also has some separate work under her name, as well as postprosperity, which includes some of her digital hardcore projects.
I don’t have a doubt in my mind that ear is going to reach massive mainstream status within the next couple of years. All the right people seem interested in what they bring to the table, and that is because it is pure, unabashed expression; all we have to do is sit patiently and watch.
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Fantastic article. Thank you!