In 2008, Daniel Blumberg and Max Bloom were part of a group of bright young things from London called Cajun Dance Party. They released a promising debut album, The Colourful Life, and infamously promised to follow it up with another album before the year was out. This never materialised, and the quintet faded away quietly, but not before Blumberg and Bloom jumped ship to form Yuck, a band whose early material made us feel like it was the early 90s all over again. In a similar manner to CDP, Yuck‘s self-titled debut hinted at greater things being in store for the quartet, which then consisted of Blumberg, Bloom, Mariko Doi and Johnny Rogoff.
That was February 2011. Little more than 2 years later, Blumberg left the band, sparking rumours of an impending split which were quickly quashed. The band saw this next phase as a rebirth, and released a song of the same name that suggests that Blumberg’s departure was for the best. Showing off a sound that was noticeably more spacious than before, their layers of guitars embellished by such things as strings and synths, they sounded refreshed, but the main question surrounding the grandiosely-named Glow & Behold that needs to be answered is this: have they regained momentum, or was it – and were they – just a flash in the pan?
The instrumental album opener, “Sunrise In Maple Shade”, sets the scene, a semi-acoustic introduction that showcases some neat little additions to the band’s oeuvre, and suggests that their second album will be more than just a noise-rock romp – not that there would have been anything wrong with that, but artistic growth is welcome, too. The jangly indie-pop of “Out of Time” is the first test of how well the new line-up gel, and the reformatted trio pull it off with aplomb, woozy guitars and pattering hi-hats giving way to a joyous finale that’s assisted by a ghostly choir. Bet you weren’t expecting that.
That’s exactly the point, though – Bloom, Doi and Rogoff seem completely comfortable with playing with expectations. The songwriting is more nuanced, and the record is given a major boost by some blindingly bright hooks. “Lose My Breath” brings to mind a particularly accessible My Bloody Valentine stripped of the cavernous reverb and shoegaze aura, while “Middle Sea” – the album’s proper lead single – is a carefree delight, showing that each of the band’s members have raised their game while making scuzzy guitar-pop look easy.
“Nothing New” bears a deliciously ironic title, as it’s a startlingly direct acoustic song injected with cinematic flair by the inclusion of a droning organ, handclaps and – perhaps most surprisingly of all – triumphant-sounding brass that breathes life into the track’s bridge. Put to forceful use on “Sunrise in Maple Shade”, here, the horns sound full and vibrant, making another appearance on the beautiful, mid-tempo, “How Does It Feel”, and giving the album enough energy to coast through the instrumental “Chinese Cymbals” and ensure that the closer – the album’s title track – goes out with a bang.
The album glows with the confidence of a band who have settled into themselves; where once Yuck wore their influences proudly – and perhaps a little too obviously – on their sleeves – they are in the process of finding out what makes them tick; what works, and what doesn’t. Thankfully, all 11 tracks on Glow & Behold definitely do work, and quite brilliantly in places. Say hello to Yuck 2.0, and be sure to put aside some time to bask in the radiance of their reinvention.