Yves Tumor is in a constant state of morph. The past few years have seen the enigmatic musician evolve from their field recording/noise beginnings to becoming a full-fledged rockstar—akin to David Bowie for the post-modern era. Apt that their birth name is Sean Bowie, since the parallels run deeper than namesake.
In a conversation with the dark fashion empress Michèle Lamy for Flaunt, Tumor stated, "As soon as I'm done with the record, and I have that sound embodied in that physical form, I just don't want to ever revisit it." The statement rings even more true with time, as Tumor's progression as an artist gets ever greater with each release. After the theatrical psychedelia of experimental rock from recent years, Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)—that's a mouthful—is a layered album which takes influence from multifarious corners of rock music while shaping it to Tumor's own image.
Beneath the mystery that shrouds this deeply personal album—much like their past releases—Tumor looked inwards to examine the complex relationships they have with the people around them and the concept of higher power that has been instilled since they were younger. Album opener "God is a Circle" saw Tumor sang "Everything around us feels unclеan/My mama said that God sees everything/And my daddy always taught me to say/'Thank you', 'yes, ma'am', and 'no, sir', 'yes please'", addressing the figure of "God" which is referred to in the album title directly. The figure who Tumor "loves" within the song is left unclear, but the troubled nature of the relationship is reiterated by its end, in which Tumor repeated the phrase "Same old dance/Same old dance" amidst a frantic instrumentation.
Tumor also showed once again their keen ears in curating collaborators. The opener features backing vocals from British-Swedish singer Ecco2K and Lebanese-born artist Thoom, while "Lovely Sewer" plays much like a duet between Tumor and guest vocalist Kidä—who provides a tragic brightness to the song's haunting energy.
Interplay between the serene and chaotic is at the heart of ...Hot Between Worlds, which song structures bleed into one another—acting as parallels. "Meteora Blues" starts off quietly, yet a barrage of distorted guitar awaits in the chorus, which fades and comes back again in waves. As the song nears its frenzied climax, it dissolves into the track "Interlude", which gives way to "Parody". The theatrics of stardom is questioned by Tumor, with the lyrics "Send your face and name on a postcard/A parody of a pop star/You behaved like a monster/Is this all just makeup?"—delivered with a sample of Ye's Sunday Service Choir. Sung by an artist who claims that they "only want to make hits", the lyrics provide an interesting paradox, since it seems that an increasingly larger stage is just on the horizon for Tumor.
The idea of God and how one interprets it pervades every aspect of ...Hot Between Worlds. "Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood" contains an interlude which states "I love the color blue because/It's in the sky/And that's where God is". In a line from "Fear Evil Like Fire" which may or may not be about God, Tumor confronted their emotions, "It's so unsettling/To hear your name in vain/They say it'd grow on me". While they may not resolve the emotions they feel yet, the experience of listening to it proves to be cathartic.
Listeners are left questioning about Tumor's connection with the figures he alludes to in their songs, as the tumultuous relationships between them are juxtaposed within the tracks. The interludes play a part in painting a more vivid picture of Tumor's narrative, as one in "Echolalia" states, "So, it's like a circle, and I don't want anybody to depend on me. If you say you love me and you, like, your happiness only depends on me, it might not be true love. Maybe it's something you need and you want, but you think it's love, it's not love".
At times ominous, at times tender, and always captivating, ...Hot Between Worlds' darkwave/post-punk inflections provide a grimy yet glamorous listen to Tumor's pondering of love and spirituality. It's urgent and romantic. "Heaven is a place that we all have", sang Tumor in "Fear Evil Like Fire", yet still they yearn. After all, isn't solace what we all are searching for? In album closer "Ebony Eye", Tumor seems to be inching closer to what they're seeking. "I can't describe this glowing light/There's no other way than the pearly gates/I found my holy place". Solemn.
(alm/tim)