Yves Tumor — The Asymptotical World — EP Review
Experimental | Indie | Rock | Electronic
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
The wonderfully surreal and experimental musical project from Florida-born singer and musician Sean Bowie, known as Yves Tumor, has been one that I have enjoyed for quite some time now.
To be more specific, it was through the single release of “Noid” that served as my gateway track into what is now an even more boundary-pushing discography. But even when I discovered the artist and their music in 2018, it was still unlike anything I had really heard before.
I was pleased to find that the awesomely weird feel of “Noid” was followed by the release of Yves Tumor’s third album, and obviously, the first one I had listened to, Safe in the Hands of Love. This album was a very good effort when it came to introducing me fully to the artist’s aesthetic. However, I knew in the back of my mind that Yves Tumor was continuously growing, and continuously pushing the boundaries of their musical work. That being said, I was very excited to see where they would go next.
And where they went next backed up my prediction towards Yves Tumor’s growth beautifully. Last year saw the artist release their fourth studio album, Heaven To A Tortured Mind, which also stands as my favourite work of theirs to date. It is arguably the best encapsulator of what makes Yves Tumor such an interesting artist. So all in all, I saw it as a great improvement upon Safe in the Hands of Love.
With that last album out, I was expecting that I’d need to wait a few years for the next project, and I was happy enough to do so. Besides, we were lucky enough to receive that awesomely unique rock-focused sound of “Jackie” earlier this year, so I was happy enough with that. However, I wasn’t expecting that this single would be secretly teasing the arrival of a surprise project, which doubles as Yves Tumor’s first extended play. Behold; The Asymptotical World.
This brand new EP features a generous total of six tracks; one of which is the aforementioned “Jackie”. And as that track was secretly teasing, The Asymptotical World leans towards a more rock-heavy sound than Yves Tumor’s previous projects (which had already explored quite rock-like sounds). But this one really does take the cake for being (at least one of) the artist’s most gritty-sounding projects. I think it is as a result of being a more compact project, but The Asymptotical World comes across as a more consistent project overall as a result.
In good fashion, this EP begins with its singular teaser track. For those who have listened to it already, they know just how awesome the harshly bright tones sound on this track’s choruses. It’s such a well-crafted track, in fact, that it remains one of my favourite tracks on The Asymptotical World, even when stacked up against some other great tunes.
Following the opening single, is the more dreamy, but still gritty, sound of “Crushed Velvet”. It serves as that kind of more slow-burning track that Yves Tumor has on each of their projects. However, it still had that rhythm to keep me fully engaged.
The third track, titled “Secrecy Is Incredibly Important To The Both Of Them” is arguably one of the most dynamic tracks on the EP, and I utterly loved listening to it as a result. Seeing Yves Tumor’s sound burst so violently was a real treat to the ears.
The first three tracks on this EP remain my three favourites at this stage, and I am very pleased that The Asymptotical World had got off to such a strong start. But despite the fact that I believed the first half of this EP to be the best, it ends with quite a few good listens as well.
In fact, I would say that the only track I didn’t completely enjoy would’ve been “Tuck”. I think this might’ve been primarily because of how it stylistically doesn’t fit in with the rest of the EP, and also felt quite patience-testing. But I suppose it also didn’t help that I completely forgot about this track until writing this review.
But with everything taken into consideration, I still feel spoilt that Yves Tumor has still managed to provide us with such a solid and generous EP, even after releasing one of last year’s most memorable albums.
Favourite Tracks: Jackie | Crushed Velvet | Secrecy Is Incredibly Important To The Both Of Them
Least Favourite Track: Tuck
Warp Records
Enjoyment: ★★★★ | Memorability: ★★★★ | Atmosphere: ★★★★★
Uniqueness: ★★★★★ | Satisfaction: ★★★★ | Narrative: ★★★★
