Emanating joyful warmth in spite of a seething thread of cynicism amid troubled political times…

First published in Clash Magazine 5th June 2019

Two years on from 2016’s ‘Amen & Goodbye’, Brooklyn-hailing experimental rock trio Yeasayer are back with fifth album Erotic Reruns. For a band who have continually taken creative left turns – veering between sing-along psych-pop and moments of fuller indulgence in their avant-garde tendencies – this nine-song follow-up strikes a neat balance between the two.

A return to a more DIY approach delivers plentiful psychedelic sounds and heady hooks, emanating joyful warmth in spite of a seething thread of cynicism amid troubling political times.

Synths run heavy and drums jitter in funk-fest ‘Fluttering in the Floodlights’, a foot-tapping beat skips through the irreverent ‘I’ll Kiss You Tonight’ while ‘24-Hour Hateful Live!’ holds an edgy bite yet pure elation abounds in ‘Ecstatic Baby’: “I’m ecstatic baby, when I’m with you / I’m spinning circles, jumping over the moon.”

Whether any cuts in the collection has the popular pull of 2010 LP ‘Odd Blood’ – say, ‘Ambling Alp’ or ‘O.N.E.’ – is yet to be seen, but there’s undoubtedly groove enough here to fuel summer-long dancing vibes, regardless of the consistency British sunshine.

7/10

Words: Sarah Bradbury

Dig it? Dig deeper: MGMT, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors

First published in Clash Magazine 5th June 2019