As on their first two albums, with 2020's
Truth or Consequences Yumi Zouma prove once again that they are the very picture of restraint and calm. Their smoothly crafted, precisely played and sung electro-pop isn't designed to raise pulses or get the party started; it's made for quiet moments of reflections, tender feelings brought on by heartbreak, and the soft spaces in between the big emotions. As before, they do a lovely job of fulfilling that very specific role. There are few bands as committed to creating and sustaining a mood, and they are in fine form here. As steady as the group comes across, though, they have grown in some ways. Christie Simpson's vocals grow more expressive with each release, the arrangements are a little fuller overall, and they flirt a little bit more with late-night disco than before. The pulsing "Sage" is almost danceable and "Magazine Bay" has a little bit of elasticity in the laid-back groove. Mostly, though, the band stick to their template of mid-tempo electro ballads that weave a warm cocoon of sound ("Southwark," "My Palms Are Your Reference to Hold to Your Heart") and pleasantly energetic, happy, hooky new wave-inspired tracks that sound like
Berlin if they relocated to a small town in New Zealand ("Cool for a Second," "Lonely After"). The only time the band push against the limits of their self-contained bubble is on "Mirror to the Fire," a
New Order-inspired track that has synthy grandeur, an insistent rhythm, and a sense of heightened drama that's missing elsewhere. This song shows that the band could break out of their reserved approach and still be good; the rest of the album proves that they don't have to. There's still plenty of mileage left on their sound, and as long as they keep making records as sweet, cozy, and melodically engaging as
Truth or Consequences,
Yumi Zouma can keep going for quite a while with minimal depreciation. ~ Tim Sendra