We mean it when we say that we’ve been itching for new Yowie for years now, because when it comes down to it, it’s an atonal itch only they know how to scratch. Yes, there’s noise, prog, and math rock designed to confound us out there, and it’s all good stuff. But as a listener, one reaches a certain apex with Yowie.
Like, how is a band supposed to sound more cantankerous than this? We’re not saying no one else could, it’s just that very, very few actually reach this level of weird, and the new Yowie is the exact brand of unfathomable noise we’ve been craving. If you too have a hankering for something noodle-y and unwieldy, you couldn’t be in a better place.
Today Yowie have officially announced their fourth album Taking Umbrage, due out in October via SKiN Graft Records. It’s their first record since 2017’s eponymous Synchromysticism, and you can check out the pre-orders here but first, get a load of the impending madness with “Grimgrigger” below:
Ah, sweet chaos. The song’s janky, vaguely twang-adjacent guitars take us back to the first time we heard Yowie, on their split with Colossamite where everyone covered AC/DC. We will never forget the shock and awe we experienced from that introduction, and we’re wondering if unexacting listeners are going to have that same moment, in which case, you are welcome. “Grimgribber” is hardly easy listening, at times sounding like a song that’s been thrown in a bathtub with a toaster, but even as the sparks fly and the smoke starts to rise, it’s madness gives rise to the kind of frenzied jubilation only Yowie can.
Here’s some more from the press release too:
Unmatched for their a singular, befuddling style of hyper-composed rock, YOWIE’s instantly recognizable approach baffles and excites listeners. Yet, despite being unabashedly unnatural and counter intuitive at every turn, YOWIE grooves.
For “Taking Umbrage”, the ambition of the material demanded YOWIE assemble an international lineup with impeccable credentials. The band now features Daniel Kennedy (also of the band Cleric, which has its own progressive metal oeuvre, and has worked with the likes of John Zorn and Trey Spruance), as well as Jack Tickner (Basil’s Kite, Wollongong, and solo microtonal work), in addition to founding member, Defenestrator (YOWIE, YOWIE and YOWIE).
“Taking Umbrage” is both the group’s longest album and the one that took the longest to create, and one listen will show listeners why. There is no fast-tracking YOWIE’s meticulous approach to composition.
“Taking Umbrage” raises the bar even higher, defying the boundaries of rock to forge a new path full of twists and turns that will challenge and excite aficionados of math rock, prog rock, RIO, extreme metal… and the outer limits and extremities of genres yet to be identified.
We agree entirely, and also we are elated to see Jack from Basil’s Kite here, as Shooting Tzars and Chewing Bread are top-tier prog records, albeit of a totally different kind. Yowie may be an elusive beast, but we will say this for the fans that are always watching and waiting for a sign – keep your eye out for more Yowie here soon!
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