After nine long years, including a brief hiatus, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have finally released their fifth studio album, Cool It Down. The album covers a wide spectrum of the sounds they’ve used previously along with improvements sonically. Every track feels multi-dimensional from classic guitar rock and roll instrumentals to ambient mid-tempo beats. The message I received from this album is, you can’t run away from your fears or the world. The only way to make a change is to face it headfirst. Overall, this is arguably their best release to date.
The New York City-based band was formed in 2000, which was not too far behind other popular turn of the century bands like Interpol, The Strokes, and The White Stripes. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were individually unique and took over the indie rock sound at the time. The YYYs we’re the first band that really introduced me to indie rock. Karen O’s voice is really captivating and grabbed my attention immediately. This is their first album released on the independent label Secretly Canadian, which they signed to earlier this year after leaving Interscope Records.
Photo by David Black
Exploring the Sounds of Cool It Down
Cool It Down, was inspired by the Velvet Underground song with the same title on their 1970 album, Loaded. The YYYs are showing their appreciation for the 70s group that established its roots in the same city.
The album starts off with the lead single, “Spitting Off the Edge of the World” which features Perfume Genius. The song touches on the climate of the world we’re living in today. The idea is that the new generation is living in a new world, and they might not have the same opportunities and life as those of the past. So, they fight to get what they desire. A strong leading track, the song really shows that they are allowing themselves to make a statement and express these uncomfortable emotions.
Next up is “Lovebomb,” a calm love song with a spacey ambient beat that features violins in the background. “Wolf” has a light synthesizer that opens up the track, with bandmate Brian Chase playing the drums. Karen’s vocals are perfect on this track and have a prolonged outro. I’d say that this is my favorite track. Then there’s the song “Fleez” which reminds me of another song called “Moody” from the band ESG. Both songs have a similar funky, rock and roll type vibe to them.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Burning” Music Video
After that, the song, “Burning,” slowly opens with a piano and progresses to aggressive strings. It feels more dramatic and theatrical. The lyrics are open-ended allowing the listener to maintain their point of view and allow themselves to get lost in the song. Following that, “Blacktop” almost feels like a love that has been lost. It seems as if Karen O is trying to get back to what she had before. When she sees this person, they bring up painful old memories that make her yearn for that love.
In the end, the album comes around full circle to the themes present in the beginning. “Different Today” is upbeat and has a similar energy to the first track on the album. It talks about how the world can affect you and take control of how you feel. The track “Mars” is a spoken word piece from Karen O. She reflects on her life as a mother and how despite everything going on, she still continues to provide for her family.
Final Thoughts on the Cool It Down
My favorite elements of this project were the different melodies and catchy hooks. Although they have somewhat a repetitive nature, Karen O sings them with conviction allowing the listener to grasp her intention, at large. I appreciate that this project track length is shorter. Recently, it’s been popular once again for artists to have albums with 20-plus tracks and deluxe editions filled with filler tracks. This whole album, however, is direct and straight to the point.
On the other hand, I am a little disappointed that we only got eight new tracks from the band. Each song does feel full and rich, though, which makes up for it. I’m so glad the band was able to get back together, and I can’t wait to see what the next phase in their career has in store for them.
