Yungblud has declared his fourth album, Idols, to be a “a project with no limitations”. This is quite a claim.
So, what musical wonders has Dominic Harrison created in collaboration with his team of producer Matt Schwartz, composer Bob Bradley and guitarist Adam Warrington? Perhaps a reggae infused mix of hardcore punk, techno and folk rock? Or maybe a delirious fusion of heavy metal, grime, be-bop and desert blues?
Unfortunately, not. Idols comes on like a full-on celebration of soulless second wave Britpop, with maximalist production that leans heavily into the “loudness wars” style of the late 1990s and early 2000s, omnipresent orchestral backing, over-blown guitar solos, ridiculously emotive vocals and a word spaghetti of lyrics that say nothing in particular. In short, it’s an album that seems to take most of its cues from Oasis’ Be Here Now period of sprinkling cocaine on their cornflakes with an extra dash of Robbie Williams at his most preposterous. And if this wasn’t enough, Idols is only the first slice of a two-disc set. So, somewhat depressingly, there’s going to be more at some point.
Yungblud doesn’t even aim particularly high on this album, ploughing the same furrow repeatedly. Opening track, “Hello Heaven Hello” signals what’s to come in capital letters and is a nine-minute stadium-pop over-indulgence that throws in everything but the kitchen sink but doesn’t really go anywhere worthwhile. While tracks like the overwrought power ballad, “Zombie” would even embarrass Richard Ashcroft, and “Ghosts” lays on the Sturm und Drang to the point of absurdity, shamelessly lifting some of The Edge’s guitar style along the way.
Once upon a time, it looked as if Yungblud might be a stand-out character in 2020s’ UK pop. With each new release though, his music is proving to be ever more an example of over-excitable marketing hype with nothing worthwhile to back it up.
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