Yumi Zouma - Willowbank


Yumi Zouma
Willowbank
2017
Spotify

Yumi Zouma have this really interesting way of sliding deep into a groove and then never letting you out. The dreamy synths, chilled guitar lines and hushed vocals lead you down this road of a totally different experience. You just never expect dream pop like this to be so toe tappingly fun to dance too but Yumi Zouma make it feel wholly effortless. "December" is a real early standout and one of the most upbeat tracks on this new record with Christie Simpson singing every so slightly harder than the rest of the album. The song just soars from the moment it starts and does not let up from there. When you listen to Yumi Zouma there is this really profound intimacy, like you can connect with them instantly. Things get quite a bit darker and more emotionally charged on "Half Hour" which is far more brooding than anything they have done in the past. Simpson's sweet voice is paired with driving percussion and this distant boom, leaving a real ominous sense over the whole thing. However it is that melancholy that really drives what Yumi Zouma do. Their songs sound sweet, they sound like love songs, but they aren't; they have a real sense of pain to them, something really unexpected. It is what keeps the album from feeling one note, because it is right on that edge. Since many of the songs have similar pacing and a similar vibe they really need to be excellent in order to standout from each other, and they do.

"In Blue" is another one of the change of pace tracks with this almost steel drum feel to it but super dark. It is almost as if Yumi Zouma have found the answer to loneliness and it's recognizing it then dancing it out. On sophomore albums bands often will overreach or not adapt enough which is why the sophomore slump is a real thing. However Yumi Zouma find a great balance between evolving their sound and still being reverential to the stuff they have done in the past. It is really quite beautiful to listen to. So much of their history was being apart, recording in different places and that longing has always been part of their music. In going home to New Zealand to record this album seems to not only reinvigorated their sound, but also the spirit of the band. Sometimes you do need to go home in order to really find yourself and Yumi Zouma have done that. Willowbank is another splendid record from a band barely scratching the surface of their career. We will just have to wait and see what comes next.

8.0 out of 10

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