Yves Tumor is an elusive artist to say the least. No one even knows his real name, I’ve heard that it might be Sean, but Tumor himself has never confirmed or denied this allegation. Very little is known about the multi-instrumentalist besides that he began playing the bass in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennese, he started in the noise scene of Los Angeles, and he goes by many names. His second album Heaven To a Tortured Mind is going to introduce the young artist to a whole new world of fans and acclaim. Tumor handles most of the writing and production himself, getting a hand from producer Justin Raisen on this album. At only a 36 minute runtime, Tumor is able to create his own loud, psychedelic world on his second LP where he takes control of the listeners emotional state and spins them 360 degrees until you don’t know where you started and how it ended.
The drums of this record are what really stand out above the other production aspects. They’re dark, they’re loud and they can make even the slickest guitar solos fade behind them. Every song has its own unique flavor all while keeping the project very cohesive and refreshing as you play through tracks 1-12. The entire album starts off with a melody of these elements, the drums play tug-of-war with the horns, cutting in and out until Yves Tumor’s haunting vocals come in. Tumor plays around with vocal filters all over this project, but each time he is able to find a small pocket in these instrumentals and call them home. Tumor is able to match the exact emotion that the instrumental evokes out of the listener, he creates catchy melodies over these garage-rock-sounding instrumentals. A song like “Medicine Burn” shows the harder, noiser elements of the production while Tumor finds the sweet spot in between the fuzzy guitar playing and beating drums to sing about a decapitated woman with a crazy amount of teeth.
Tumor’s songwriting is not to be looked over either. The crashing instrumentals are met with sweet love songs that tell a story through vivid imagery. Songs like “Super Stars” have Tumor begging someone to break and mend him into someone that this other person wants around, someone who makes Tumor feel like no other. Track 5, “Hasdallen Lights” has Tumor answering his own questions over a funk-infused groove and beautiful strings. Tumor questions “What are you running from?” while an echo respondes “Running from my shadow”. This song acts almost as a therapy session for the artist, asking deep questions all while he has the answers himself.
Not all of Heaven is a Tortured Mind is filled with in-your-face guitar plucking and electronic fuzz arrangements. “Folie Imposée” is more ambient and upbeat than other songs on this album. The beat takes on almost a dance vibe and Tumor’s vocals act more as background to the infectious bassline. The song next in sequence, “Strawberry Privilege” has Tumor’s vocals acting similarly, except to go along with a great bassline, a harmony of vocals take center stage and add an ominous, but much welcomed, element to the track.
Overall, Yves Tumor’s second album is dark, hard-hitting, and filled with exciting arrangements. Heaven is a Tortured Mind plays like an acid trip and shows signs of a young artist coming into their own and showcasing their many talents, talents that will only grow and expand as time passes.
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