Album Review: Yuck Glow & Behold

Following the recent departure of frontman Daniel Blumberg, this trio leave little time in asserting a fresh approach on their sophomore album. This release is a far cry from the grinding, garage aesthetic of their debut. Instead, from instrumental opener Sunrise In Maple Shade, this album predominantly evokes a bright, sunny and textured sound. Less reliant on dynamics and instead favouring gradual builds, they even experiment with instruments such as bells and horns to fully embrace their janglier shoegaze sound.

The wavering tremolo of Rebirth is especially reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine, its chords sliding in and out to create a sense of uneasy cohesion. However the melody-driven, energetic single Middle Sea is undoubtedly the gem of this collection, in which the band strike a delicate balance between the lo-fi punk of their earlier work and the heavy, shoegaze haziness that this album strives towards. Moments of peacefulness and serenity are also achieved at times, as in Somewhere, a twinkling example of melancholic, meandering headphones music.

Mirroring the opener, Twilight In Maple Shade (Chinese Cymbals) is a pulsating instrumental track, which perhaps should have closed the album in place of the syrupy Glow & Behold – a rather soft, inoffensive song that sounds more like a B-side tacked on the end at the last minute. Though this album is a noticeable regression in terms of edge, Yuck again display real potential to create waves in the alt.rock scene, with hopefully a true break-out album still on the cards.