Review Summary: A Voice of Pure Sex...Fixated on Missionary
This may be Yumi Zouma's first full length release but it follows two EPs that sounded so unified in their musical approach that any existing listeners could be forgiven for feeling like they've already experienced an album by this band, one that just happened to be delivered in two parts. The first EP was the stronger of the pair, Christie Simpson's cute n' seductive vox adding a dash of sexual provocativeness to otherwise innocent-reading lines like 'Sålka Gets Her Hopes Up's breathily assertive chorus hook of 'I'll give it to you honest'. The second EP was less overtly come-hither in tone but by that point the imprinting was already complete; Simpson's vocals were now irreversibly linked to the erogenous zones of the listener. The musical backing hardly varied across the two releases, a retro sensibility married to airy dream-pop tones that never demanded too much of their audience but buried just enough sly subtleties under the surface to keep things interesting. As successful as this approach proved a full length album was always going to present Yumi Zouma with a challenge; could the band develop their sound beyond this carefully established niche whilst at the same time assuring Simpson's vocals never lose that trademark je ne sai quoi? Would still aurally bang?
The encouraging news is that 'Yoncalla' does indeed show signs of the band branching out and embracing some different styles and textures outside their comfort zone. The opening 'Barricade' is a more minimal take on their style and as a result the retro fetishising is less pronounced than on the EP material; the sound here is markedly more crystalline than before but impressively still retains warmth. Similarly 'Keep it Close to Me' with its skittering drums and trancey synths feels more suited to a club environment than the sort of summer loving 'picnic for two' the first EP hinted at. 'Remember You At All' would most likely have been stripped of its electro squelch undercurrent had it been recorded two years prior but this welcome addition affords the track a Royksopp-esque chill-out appeal. Best of all is the strident, heavily layered synth pop of 'Short Truth' that does a great job of anchoring the second half of the album, making sure 'Yoncalla' doesn't just waft off into the ether. Elsewhere Simpson takes centre stage and reassumes her customary vocal delivery; 'Haji Awali' would have fit seamlessly on either of the EPs and 'Better When I'm By Your Side' sports verses of largely unadorned singing that can't help but project that familiar faintly melancholic and nonchalantly seductive vibe.
Those alluring vocals paired with a backdrop of hushed and sweetly melodic tones still makes for a winning formula, and while it's encouraging the band avoided what must have been a strong temptation to release a full length that revisits the exact same territory as those two EPs, this nevertheless remains a sound that too frequently falls foul of the twin pitfalls of sameyness and background-music-itus. The album does reward conscious, attentive listening but it's hard to deny that keeping in the zone for the full runtime can prove a Herculean effort. As such it's still somewhat difficult to fully embrace Yumi Zouma as an album proposition, 'Yoncalla' will most likely adopt the typical role of 'night time listen', one of those releases you switch on after retreating to bed and three songs later you're fast asleep. This isn't necessarily a terrible trait of course, and to the band's great credit the quality is such you could select any song here as the start of your listening experience and no doubt be equally satisfied. After all that voice is still working its magic, only now are those same old shapes starting to prove ever so slightly tiring? How do you feel about dressing up and a little bit of role play Yumi baby?
