It seems like a lifetime ago but the last Yumi Zouma album was released on the day I started working from home due to the COVID pandemic. And, guess what? Yeah, I'm still working from home. In the new era we're in, Yumi Zouma took their talents in a weird direction. In the midst of this chaos, they decided to record an alternate version of Truth or Consequences, their March 2020 release. Out today via Polyvinyl, Truth of Consequences - Alternate Versions is a surprisingly good record, and the sort of thing you didn't think you needed but grow to love.
"Southwark" here is now a more intimate affair, the down-tempo charms of the number more apparent, while "Cool for a Second", a highlight of the original album, here gets stretched into new spaces. Elsewhere, "My Palms Are Your Reference To Hold To Your Heart" here seems more languid and less a foray into Eighties New Wave than the first version did, while "Lonely After" still snaps in this rendition. The versions are mostly more cozy, though just as inventive as they were before, suggesting that this experiment was a good idea.
Truth or Consequences - Alternate Versions is out today via Polyvinyl.
More details on Yumi Zouma via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: Polyvinyl]