Is Is

For the disputed grammatical construction, see is is that.

Is Is is Yeah Yeah Yeahs' third EP released on July 24, 2007. Songs for the EP were written in 2004 in between touring behind the band's first record Fever to Tell. The song "Down Boy" was No. 61 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.^[13]

Is Is
EP by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Released	July 24, 2007
Recorded	Stratosphere Studios, NYC
Genre	Indie rock art punk garage punk
Length	17:47
Label	Interscope (U.S.) Polydor (UK) Modular
Producer	Nick Launay Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs chronology
Show Your Bones (2006) Is Is (2007) It's Blitz! (2009)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs singles chronology
"Cheated Hearts" (2006) "Down Boy" (2007) "Zero" (2009)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(78/100)[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The A.V. Club	C[3]
Drowned in Sound	(7/10)[4]
Hot Press	(favorable)[5]
The New York Times	(favorable) [6]
NME	(8/10)[7]
Now	[1]
Pitchfork Media	(8.2/10)[8]
Prefix Magazine	(positive)[9]
Robert Christgau	[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[11]
Stylus Magazine	B+[12]

The EP

Written amidst a turbulent and emotionally unstable period in Yeah Yeah Yeahs' history, the angst that colored that time translates into a sexually charged body of songs. On their choice of producer, Karen O stated, "Nick Launay was the natural choice having produced PiL Flowers of Romance, collectively a favorite between us. I put that record on and want to stuff my mouth with raw hamburger meat."^[14]

The EP has been released on CD, double 7" vinyl, USB flash drive and digital download.

"Down Boy" was originally released as a split single with Liars only released in Australia and Japan. The album title is an extraction of the fourth track song Isis, which in turn is an extraction of the Egyptian goddess Isis.

The video

The band made a live film to accompany the EP with co-directors K. K. Barrett and Lance Bangs. Recorded in night vision at Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn on 7 May, the band played two sets that night to 100 fans each time—the first for a mixed audience and the second for females only. There will be two filmed versions of lead track "Down Boy"—one live, and one to EP audio.

Three of these live videos, and the EP audio version of "Down Boy", have been uploaded to their official YouTube channel.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Rockers to Swallow"	3:14
2.	"Down Boy"	3:54
3.	"Kiss Kiss"	2:45
4.	"Isis"	4:00
5.	"10 x 10"	3:44
Total length:		17:47

All tracks are written by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Personnel

• Brian Chase – drums
• Nick Zinner – guitars, synthesizer
• Karen O – vocals

Charts

Chart (2007)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[15]	38
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[16]	44
Denmark (Tracklisten)[17]	5
Italy (FIMI)[18]	33
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[19]	63
US Billboard 200[20]	72

References

1. "Critic Reviews for Is Is (EP)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
2. Phares, Heather. "Is Is – Yeah Yeah Yeahs". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
3. Gordon, Scott (2007-07-31). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Is Is". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
4. Kharas, Kev (2007-07-26). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Is Is EP". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 2020-06-13. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
5. Walshe, John (2007-08-16). "Is Is". Hot Press. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
6. Chinen, Nate (2007-07-29). "Billie Holiday Remixed, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs Recharged". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
7. Nicolson, Barry (2007-07-30). "Yeah Yeah Yeah's: Is Is". NME. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
8. Deusner, Stephen M. (2007-07-24). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Is Is EP". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
9. Motley, John (2007-07-25). "Album Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Is Is EP". Prefix Magazine. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
10. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Yeah Yeah Yeahs". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
11. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
12. Weber, Theon (2007-07-25). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Is Is EP – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
13. No byline (December 11, 2007). "The 100 Best Songs of 2007" Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-12-21
14. "IS IS isn't your mommy or daddy's EP" (Press release). yeahyeahyeahs.com. 2007-06-15. Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
15. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Is Is EP". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
16. Williams, John (August 1, 2007). "Sum 41's 'Hero' debuts at No. 1". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
17. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Is Is EP". Tracklisten. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
18. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Is Is EP". Top Digital Download. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
19. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Is Is". mexicancharts.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
20. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2019.

External links

• Is Is at Metacritic