Album Review: Truth or Consequences

Yumi Zouma are a four-piece band who formed in New Zealand and have seen international success with their brand of dreamy beach pop – effortlessly upbeat and post-party feels. It’s music that I can always put on my playlist repeat loop. Their third album Truth or Consequences was released this month. It was produced by the band and mixed by Jake Aron and is their first release on Polyvinyl.

I took an instant like to Yumi Zouma; a big part of it was lead singer Christie Simpson’s voice which delivers lyrics full of feeling and supported by a beautiful blend of electro beats.

Their tracks have been a staple on my playlists, and so I was thrilled to listen to new music from the alt-pop quartet. New listeners could choose to be introduced to the band with this album: a great example of their electro-flecked sound and delicate harmonies.

This is particularly true of the laid back percussive Right Track Wrong Man, where the harmonies are cleverly interlaced. The third track Southwark is layered feels evocative of urban life and is a little wistful. Sage is melody-led and slows the pace down. A stand out track which sort of reminded me of the Stranger Things series 1980’s nostalgia was Cool for a Second, which put me in mind of a coming of age theme with its lyrics and resonant of a decade sound-tracked for sci-fi magic realism in its pop culture. However, my favourite track was My palms are Your Reference. It’s gentle rise and fall and sense of longing in the lyrics and vocal delivery just make for a perfect pop tune.

The band make mainstream music that’s original, music that’ll take your mind off to memories of sun-laden days, and at these stressful times, I’d say this album is a welcome opportunity to be enveloped in Yumi Zouma’s dreamy sound.