Yungblud is back with Idols the much anticipated follow up to 2022’s self titled album and what a huge difference those 3 years have made. Idols pulls inspiration from the British greats of the 80’s and 90’s from Bowie and Jagger to Britpop sensations Blur and Oasis. This is very much a love letter to the music that inspired Yungblud, hell it’s a love letter to the music of years gone in general.
The album opens with Hello Heaven Hello an 9 minute song that has 3 very distinctive parts which my brain has dubbed Hello, Heaven and Hello. There’s Hello which is reminiscent of Pulp and Suede, Heaven which wouldn’t be out of place on a Rolling Stones or Meatloaf album. The second Hello feels like a Direct homage to Kiss the Rain by Billie Myers.
Idols part I feels like a Bowie track and honestly has huge Aladdin Sane vibes for me, and that is really not something I say lightly. Lovesick Lullaby was the first single from the album and was an excellent choice. It feels like both a huge departure from his previous work and yet is exactly the type of song I would expect from Yungblud. It’s a song that feels like a call back to his first album while also having all the energy and manic enjoyment of prime Blur.
Ok, so first off why did you want to make me cry and secondly why did you want to break my heart with that video. Zombie is a straight up assassination of your feelings. It feels exceptionally personal and not just to Yungblud but also for anyone that listens to it, its the kind of song that people will relate to and will probably have a personal experience that this song will speak to. Also it will make you tear up, I don’t make the rules.
I said at the beginning this feels like a love letter to music and not just British but in general The Greatest Parade is a Placebo song for me, which works so well. Change swings back into Indie Glam territory again with hints of Queen which works so perfectly.
Monday Murder should have been a single, this song is catchy as hell, I found myself humming it after just one listen which is both annoying and exactly what you want. Both Ghosts and Fire are complete bops that will have you nodding along to the beat, they have a great rhythm and base line that make you want to move.
So I thought I was safe by this point but apparently Yungblud is out to go for the neck, War while heavier than Zombie is lyrically a sucker punch of a song and unexpectedly so. We then go into Idols pt 2 which while short and reminiscent of an interlude is also quite the emotional backhand as well.
Supermoon closes the album out on a piano led ballad which is a masterclass in album closing. It is a huge song which I guarantee will absolutely kill live.
Honestly while I have heard Yungblud before he has been on the edges of my awareness for a while, he is an artist that has mostly passed me by. This album makes me regret that. This is an album that really feels like an artist coming into their own and playing around with the way music sounds. It is a genre bending amalgamation of the music that raised not just Yungblud but an entire generation of people, it is an ode to the music that came before and honestly it is amazing. If you are a massive fan already or someone that has never really given Yungblud a chance before this is an album you need to hear.
9/10
Idols is out on June 20th via Locomotion Records & Capitol Recordings. For More information including pre orders head here
