Description
The genre-hopping never lets up. The dinky beeps and whimsical synths of Kasumis Quests are inspired by retro video games, calling to mind the scrolling pixels of a phantasmagoric two-dimensional world; Night in Taipei, meanwhile, has the lustrous sweep of a scene from 1970s flick set in the Taiwanese capital. Often, theres variety within the same song: Slow Burner features minimalist percussion reminiscent of old-school hip-hop, which is eventually washed over by vibey electro riffs and warbling guitar lines. With so many candy-colored components wired together by a band in perfect accord, Yatta! is a combination of ingenuity and easy-breeziness thats easy to fall for. (via Bandcamp Review)
If you were alive and working anywhere remotely cool in 2019, you without a doubt were exposed to the psychedelic stylings of Yin Yins first album The Rabbit That Hunts Tigers via Pandora or whatever the fuck we used to use back then. One Inch Punch played so often at the hair salon I was at that I almost began to resent it, but would eventually relent and realize the Dutch foursomes wiggly tunes were actually really good. Rabbit got a ton of coverage both online and on live radio, and sent Yin Yin into the relative stratosphere popularity-wise. Things seemed to be trending upwards for the groupthat is, until COVID hit less than a year later, delaying their tour. While the lockdown did lead to their second album The Age of Aquarius, I cant help but feel like Yin Yin had a bit of an aborted lift-off. Aquarius didnt quite hit for me, nor did 2024s Mount Matsu, which introduced a distinctly Japanese influence on the overall sound.
Mount Matsu did leave me intrigued, though, and I was hopeful that Yatta! would build upon that new angle and let it cook more. Fortunately, I was correct, and Yatta! is their best work since their debut. This record is an excellent return to form as well as a musical step forward for the band. This is always a hard balance to maintain; having a recognizable sound is important to a groups identity, but the same dozen songs again and again doesnt do anyone any good.
The overall vibe of Yatta! is that of a retro film score, but one that is playing at a disco club on a projector. The album is highly cinematic throughout, and frequently conjures the image of a black-and-white movie from the 60s set somewhere in Asia. This objectively rules. Its a fun sonic concept for a record, intentional or not, and extremely immersive for the listener. Theres been a ton of fake vintage media in the last five or six years, where a contemporary musician or film director or visual artist takes clear inspiration from older works and faithfully recreates a new version, and Yatta! fits right into this oeuvre.
But Yin Yin delivers with the rest of Yatta!, primarily because the aforementioned groove is so incredibly locked-in. Its easy for some bands in this sphere to find a good sound and then never do anything else, like the excellent but tragically repetitive Glass Beams (I love Phrygian jamz as much as anyone, but we need another scale here, folks). Yin Yin avoid this by swinging high and utilizing a huge swath of instrumentsswirling orchestral violins, East Asian strings, woodwinds, you name it. They also throw in a good amount of disco and funk this time around, which feels like a natural progression from their mega-hit debut. Album opener In Search of Yang instantly delivers a disco drum beat overlaid with a catchy-as-anything string melody and funk rhythm guitar strums. We even get something resembling Mort Garson on Kasumis Quest, complete with oscillating synths. Cool. (via Everything is Noise)
Label: Glitterbeat
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Released: 2026
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul, Folk
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Funk, Anatolian Rock
File under: Global Sounds
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