Truth or Consequences

アルバム·レビュー

The third album from New Zealand's chill-pop outfit Yumi Zouma tenderly pokes at the bruises inflicted by 2020's unsettled times. Singer Christie Simpson —blessed with a down comforter of a voice— has said of the inspiration for single "Right Track/Wrong Man": "I've found myself... unable to work out what makes me happier, left feeling a little lost." This is low-sweat dance floor stuff, with familiar sonic touchstones. "Mirror to the Fire" comes on like Chvrches, while "Magazine Bay" borrows the yacht rock confidence of Tame Impala. Shimmering with assertive '80s-style synth and crisp percussion, the music is inevitably breezy, uplifting, optimistic; the lyrics tend to be indecisive ("Please don't leave me here or let me go," Simpson sings on "Southwark") and self-critical ("I was embarrassed when I knew who I was, so wild and zealous and overly down for the cause," she coos on "Lonely After"). The truth may be fuzzy and unknown, but the consequences remain existentially high. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz