Will Ivy has been making music since he was a teenager. He’s contributed to a bevy of bands – Dream Boys, The Fresh & Onlys, even a short stint in Hunx and his Punx and Girls. He’s moved up and down the coast, swapping San Francisco’s indie scene for the laid-back surf vibe of Los Angeles. After years of musical collaborations, and some serious dedication, Ivy’s ready to be the frontman of his own gig. And today, in a What Youth exclusive, he’s premiering his first single, “Scrap Plastic,” off his first 7″, Scrap Plastic b/w If I Was A Painter.

Ivy’s voice is deep, masculine, in an Ian Curtis kind of way, and the post-punk pace and pop energy of the music breathes like a new wave on an oftentimes tiresome musical sea. And no wonder; the single, and the forthcoming full album due out next year, were produced in what Ivy says was a very DIY production.

“We ended up getting access to an old abandoned welding factory that was just about to be converted into something new and upscale, just like every other warehouse in San Francisco. We set up a tape machine and deadened the walls with blankets and had this huge vacant and sort of eerie space to ourselves. After recording there for a week we did overdubs at friend’s houses, vocals in the shower…very DIY. Martin Newell would be proud.”

Ivy’s video for the flip, “If I Was A Painter,” premiered earlier this week. Directed by artist and Reverberation Radio deejay Robbie Simon, the video has Ivy gliding backwards on what looks like an empty LA river, with friends alongside him as he strums furiously on his guitar.

Will Ivy :: If I Was A Painter from robbie simon on Vimeo.

“There’s been a lot of time when I thought I was ready to make this record, but what I’m realizing is everything else I’ve done up to this point was also a necessary influence on this record. Every band I’ve played with, every trip I’ve taken, every record and book that resonated with me are now all working together and I feel like the timing is right, and the music I’m making now is of a better quality as a result. These songs, like me, have undergone many changes to get where they are now.”

Ivy’s release party for Scrap Plastic b/w If I Was A Painter is this Saturday, November 7th, at the historic HM157 in Lincoln Heights. And it’s not just any release party. There were only 100 Scrap Plastic 7″ singles pressed, all with 100 unique covers featuring photographs taken by Ivy’s friends and family. HM157 also serves as an art gallery of sorts, and each one of these singles will be displayed on the walls of the venue and available for purchase. —Maya Eslami