Yellow is as a 25-track double LP from the Olympia trio, Naomi Punk. Released on August 4, one might argue Yellow is two albums forced together. The album starts off with a couple of slow instrumental tracks, “Introduction I” and “Introduction II”. By the fourth song, “Cookie,” the album takes a turn to the heavier side of punk rock/alternative with its punctuated percussion and beaten guitar, setting the tone for the bulk of the album. Track nine, titled “My Shadow,” takes a mellower approach with buzzing, synthesized flows. Nearing the end of this psychedelic
composition, “Motorcade” hits hard with sounds surely composed in the name of rage and anger. Dissonance is prevalent throughout the album with its repetitive guitar rock and monotone lyricism. If you’re looking for an album diverse of sound, this is not it. Naomi Punk has adopted the heaviness of metal, along with the weirdness of punk, and meshed them to create their unique sound. Naomi Punk presents the listener with a plethora of ambiguous anthems open to interpretation with Yellow. However, the band describes the album as “25 songs of healing”. One can only assume this healing is in the form of rage and emotive expression. Yellow is Naomi Punk’s fourth studio album, and may be considered experimental regarding their previous work, which has been more heavily categorized in the punk genre. The band is composed of vocalist/guitarist Travis Coster, guitarist Neil Gregerson, and drummer Nic Luempert. The trio self-recorded the album for the better part of the last two years. This release follows their 2014 success, Television Man. Naomi Punk is largely influenced by the gloomy grunge
movement of Washington State, which is evident in their newest offering.
Recommended If You Like: Women, PC Worship, No Joy
Recommended Tracks: 5 (Cardboard), 7 (Chapter II), 9 (My Shadow), 24 (Cookie II)
Do Not Play: None
Written by Josiah Witteman on 09/27/2017
