Much like the title of Yves Tumor’s new album, the wait for new music from the belting virtuoso has been long. Today marks the release of Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds), we’re going to refer to the abbreviated name for this one. This collection of songs is the first since Tumor dropped his immaculate 2020 LP, Heaven To a Tortured Mind. Throughout 12 songs, Tumor masterfully blends the worlds of pop and experimental to create a sonic universe that is as abrasive as it is comforting. Hot Between Worlds is a living, breathing organism that crawls out of your headphones with no ill intent, just Tumor’s ever-expanding vocal range and a slew of genre-blending arrangements for your listening pleasure.
This feels like Tumor’s masterpiece, an opus that has been laying dormant deep in the artist’s creativity waiting to be freed at the perfect time. They pieced together a tracklist that, despite the frantic nature of these songs, stays consistently chaotic even in its most mellow moments. Their ability to create urgent music that is demanding and intricate while still having every little element connect with each other is a true testament to the immense talent held inside Tumor’s head. The dense textures with hints of pure solace of “Lovely Sewer” sit nicely next to the stripped-down tempo changes of “Meteora Blues” while the sinfully sweet falsettos on “Parody” mix oddly well with the searing wall of sound known as “Operator”. Tumor approached this tracklist with fearless gusto and it paid off in the form of 40 straight minutes of unfiltered creativity that gives way to the sharp edges of this album.
Tumor’s strength echoes from their vocal cords as their melodies snake through these blistering tempos. Their vocal performances have always been some of the best around but on this album, they come at you with the same force as a bolt of lightning. Tumor’s vocals are able to bend and twist around their words like they invented language, honing the energy of a rocket engine while still finding time to settle back down to earth in a bed of flowers. The album starts off with Tumor’s voice at its most human as his low grumble transforms into heaven-sent harmonies and that is all within the span of three minutes. Tumor uses the rest of the album’s runtime to put on a clinic of vocal ranges. Tumor seems to have found a comfort zone for his vocals, whether he’s whispering over spastic electronic synth chords (“Heaven Surrounds Us Like A Hood”) or finding the perfect middle ground between falsetto and baritone (“Fear Evil Like Fire”), they seem at ease in their delivery.
It’s never a question of if, but how Yves Tumor will grow with each new release. With Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds), they created a piece of art that will have the biggest skeptic believing in extraterrestrial lifeforms. For 12 songs, Tumor stitched together mania with calm masterfully while using every last second to get their vision across. Tumor makes the impossible look easy on this latest release, bridging areas of music that melt together when paired with his vibrant vocal performances. We’re all in Yves Tumor’s world now, all there is left to do is press play and enjoy our time on this wonderfully colorful ride.
