Daniel Blumberg has made the very difficult and impressive transition from rocker to film composer. The guitarist took home the Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on the epic historical drama The Brutalist in 2025. Alternative rock fans, however, were introduced to Blumberg when he was a member of the cult band Yuck.
Yuck formed in 2009 with Blumberg as rhythm guitarist. He provided colorful flourishes on the band's self-titled debut, which has gone on to become one of the most beloved noise pop albums of its era. Blumberg decided to walk away from Yuck in 2013, however, right before the release of their second album. Why?
Daniel Blumberg left Yuck in 2013
Well, he wanted to experiment. Yuck issued a statement confirming Daniel Blumberg's departure on Facebook, and it stated, point blank, that he "decided to focus on different things." And the talented musician made good on this desire. He released an album under the name Hebronix, then a single as the duo Heb-Hex with Neil Michael Hagerty, then a series of solo albums under his own name.
Blumberg discussed his unorthodox musical approach, and the desire to never repeat himself, during a 2019 interview with Il Manifesto. "I can't say what will happen from one concert to another," he said. "Sound with different formations. Now I'm in a trio with Billy [Steiger] and Tom [Wheatley]. The space and context are always different and for this reason the music we produce is never the same."
The guitarist has fashioned one of the most unique resumes in modern music, between film scores, solo albums, and one-off live releases under aliases. Max Bloom, Yuck's co-founder and lead singer, conceded that Blumberg was never going to be in the band for very long. "It kind of felt like it was always going to happen," he told the Independent.
Yuck officially broke up in 2021
“Daniel leaving wasn’t really a surprise as such because it was kind of a long time coming throughout the year that we were touring," Bloom added. "I could tell that he didn’t really want to be there and his heart wasn’t really in it. He was devoting a lot more time and energy to solo stuff." Yuck dropped two more albums and an EP before calling it quits in 2021.
The band announced their break up on the tenth anniversary of their self-titled debut, which is fitting given the album largely defines their legacy. Daniel Blumberg has distanced from Yuck since he left, but for many, his time with the band resulted in his most purely enjoyable music.