Melt Yourself Down — 100% Yes — Album Review
Alternative | Experimental Jazz | Funk
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
This album was honestly one that should’ve made the cut for the March catalogue. However, I only recalled that this albums release date earlier this week, and that is now why I am choosing to review Melt yourself Down’s 100% Yes as the first album of my April catalogue.
My first instance of hearing about this band was through one of the albums teaser tracks, “Every Single Day”, which was released in late 2019. And oddly enough, it was this song that also reminded me to check out the album in full.
Melt Yourself Down seemed like a very interesting group to me from the very get-go. The London-based band incorporate a wide variety of different influences into their craft. But most notably, their shapeshifting style seem to exude elements of jazz, funk and punk the strongest. As I collected from listening to “Every Single Day”, the group create a very colourful and unpredictable atmosphere.
However, my negligence towards the album cycle of 100% Yes meant that the other three teaser tracks that foreshadowed this album were completely new to me, along with the rest of the album.
I must give this album credit where credit is due, for starting off exceptionally well, with the first two tracks “Boot And Spleen” and “This Is The Squeeze”. While the former gets things off to an explosively energetic beginning, in what I believe to be one of the finest tracks on the project, the latter also has an incredibly feverish and warm groove to it that almost allows it to have this retro-like quality.
The overall stylistic impression that I got from this album was that it felt like some kind of mix between Scissor Sisters and The Comet Is Coming, whilst also cranking up the quirkiness further. This was a big contributor towards the bar I set incredibly high for the album overall after the first two tracks.
However, the more I ventured into this project, there seemed to be a higher abundance of tracks which while they’re still enjoyable, feel lacking in terms of the impact I initially felt when going into this album. The stylistic qualities of 100% Yes take a weird step in the direction of sounding more similar to indie than anything else, not to mention the very out-of-place sounding “From The Mouth” with its UK Garage inspired aesthetic.
And I truly believe that the lack of oomf that only parts of the album have is ultimately what holds it back from being a truly special and year-defining piece. And while I do at least appreciate the diversity of styles, I still can’t help but feel like this album doesn’t quite know what it wants to achieve.
The albums best moments for me were certainly the tracks that carried a more upbeat energy, along with a more punk attitude. Pairing that kind of aesthetic with jazz instrumentation was a very bold move. However, there is quite the handful of tracks that feel just a bit too unmemorable.
All in all, 100% Yes is an incredible album in places; I only wish that the quirky, charismatic and truly unique dynamic ran 100% of the way through.
Favourite Tracks: Boot And Spleen | This Is The Squeeze | Every Single Day
Least Favourite Track: Don’t Think Twice
Melt Yourself Down | Decca Records | Universal Music Operations Limited
