Your 33 Black Angels – Eternities II

Brooklyn, New York's Your 33 Black Angels (Y33BA), formed around 2003/'04 and are Josh Westfal – Vocals/Guitar/Synth, Dan Rosato Vocals/Guitar/Synth, Daniel Bombach – Bass and Gui Braga on Guitar.

The band debuted in 2007 with Lonely Street, then came 2008's Tales Of My Pop-Rock Love Life, 2009's Pagan Princess, 2011's Songs from the Near Bleak Future, 2012's Moon & Morning Star, 2015's Glamour, 2019's Eternities I, 2023's Don't Make Me Wait (In the Rain, Like a Fool, Again) and now Eternities II which is the subject of this here review. At only ten tracks and 38 minutes and following numerous positive reviews for their previous efforts, there's a lot to look forward with this, the band's latest album.

'Test_Run' is shimmering glitchy Electro-Pop and an aural representation of the neon nightmares conjured by Nicholas Winding Refn in his films Drive and The Neon Demon. Comparisons can be drawn to the likes of Black Moth Super Rainbow, Radiohead and a less hipster Dirty Projectors. A satisfying start to the album. 'Macunaíma' is a little different with its Acid House vibes and shades of bands like The Prodigy on debut full-length The Prodigy Experience, before they started embracing darker textures and Punk/Metal. A sound that's pure late 80's/early 90's and which'll make Gen-X'ers weep with nostalgia. 'Your Sickness Solution' incorporates elements of Lo-Fi Folk and Post-Punk ala PIL (John Lydon's eerie Vocals are especially apparent) but given a post Beck Alternative Hip-Hop twist. Pretty darn great truth be told.

“Mellin Mix #1” is an instrumental which at just over a minute can be viewed as an interlude piece. Crunk is mentioned in the album's promotional notes but as someone who hasn't listened to a note of that genre I'll have to take their word for it. “Light Life” is an Ambient/IDM gem which reminded me of many of the artists featured on Warp Records sublime 1992 Artificial Intelligence compilation. Even the use of vocoder Vocals which I ordinarily despise as it reminds me of Cher's audio atrocity 'Believe' don't deter me. 'It’s In' is thumping Chicago House and as with Crunk is a genre I have little to no experience with. However, present are detectable traces of EBM and Electro-Funk which give the track a Twitch era Ministry meets Africa Bambaataa feel that makes it all the more appealing and exciting. “Severian” sees Goth being invited to the party and once again I'm forced to mention Ministry, by way of their classic 'hit' Everyday is Halloween though with a little more romance injected. There's also some really divine dreamy loop work taking place that carries you through to another dimension. Fans of Turnstile's sonic experimentations on 2021's Glow On should also take note.

'Shaggy & Joe' starts with minimalist Electronica before evolving into the album's most overtly 'Rock' number on the record with some surprisingly heavy sounding Guitars. In some ways the Psych touches recall the likes of Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. Its easy to see why it was chosen as one of the album's preview numbers, an absolute highlight. 'Scythe' is anthemic Prog with parts reminiscent of a far more engaging, less ponderous Muse. Pink Floyd may also come to mind when listening to the glorious melodies on offer and yet another short instrumental 'A Night Apart', concludes the record on an exotic, oriental tip.

I wasn't sure what to expect with Eternities II, but I was quietly impressed both with the range of musical styles and effortless way they were performed. Certainly an album and band you should think about investigating.