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On Capital City Records!
Electric Religious' first full length release, Yeah Yeah No, follows in the path of Canada's lush movement of feel good, guitar pop. Think Mother Mother and the Stars coming together to produce a radio friendly rock album with a little bubble gum wadded in for good measure. Apropos of their catchy sound, frontman Brandon Baker and guitarist, Olivia Street demand we, "listen to the sound" on opening track, 'Revolution' as the band, rounded out by Paul Bergeron on bass, and Jay Der on drums, hit the ground running, weaving capricious guitar, solid rhythms and anthemic lyrics.
There are plenty of twists, turns & genre bending moments on the album, including standout, 'Different Eyes' which crushes hearts & unflinching ideologies while it does its best to help the listener understand, "I've got to let you go to get you back". If one weren't listening close enough, one might even think, 'Different Eyes' is a lost track from an early City & Colour album. 'Pity', is a much thicker sounding offering, its infectious, driving guitar and slick licks will have your entire body vibrating. And when 'Fever' comes bobbing along nearer to the end of the album, Elvis Costello's 'Pump It Up' may come to mind or you may just find yourself ramping up in enthusiasm as you listen. In any case, it might be advised to go twice around on the 'Fever' track on those days when your energy is at a low. Closing track, 'Marionette' is an almost perfect capper to Yeah Yeah No, featuring a sonic bridge that folds upon itself before easing back toward its main refrain of, "I know she loves me", one of my favourite moments on the album.
The nine tracks on offer are mostly very personal stories of love and the not so easy to navigate misadventures of youth. These are songs worthy of blasting out of car stereos alongside any other summer soundtracks, though with winter right around the corner, one might just leave the top up. Suffice it to say, Yeah Yeah No is fit to be played on the radio and very loudly. Electric Religious has a more than admirable first LP here. I'm looking forward to their next.
--Val Christopher