Tearist is an American experimental electronic music and performance duo from Los Angeles consisting of Yasmine Kittles (vocals / percussion) and William Stangeland Menchaca (synthesizers / programming). Their self-titled debut album sold out within months and their live followup record, Living: 2009-Present, received mixed reviews due to the lo-fi quality of the recording.[1][2] They were described as a "gothy electro-noise duo" by the Los Angeles Times music blog;[3] and in a cover story on the band, the LA Weekly wrote, "Tearist could very well be the most crucial musical project to come out of Los Angeles in recent years." [4]