Yonaka - Don't Wait 'Til Tomorrow (Album Review)

Whether soaked in synths or drenched in guitars, Yonaka knows how to soar above with almost every single track.

My story with this band began in February 2018, when I saw them opening for The Amazons on tour. It was an admirably explosive show for such a new band, and had me instantly hooked and wanting more. Fast forward to August of the same year and they released a brand new EP, the aggressive Teach Me To Fight. It was their best and most exciting work and I actually gave it a perfect score at the time. They very swiftly succeeded this with next EP Creature, an ambitious but lacking venture into a more pop-leaning sound that saw them gain some deserved attention. I was still enthusiastic for this album, but my sceptical nature did worm it's way into my preconceptions after hearing the singles "Bad Company" and "Lose My Head", two admirable but notably flawed songs that leant into their poppier sound with mixed results. I was dubious, but how did Don't Wait 'Til Tomorrow turn out?

Well, there's no denying that they offer the full range of sounds on this album, from the raging rock of "Punch Bag" to the melancholic synthpop of closer "The Cure"; the thing is, what's brilliant is that across the spectrum this band delivers consistently solid performances, engaging concepts and ginormous choruses all round. It's a recipe for success, and since my initial listen I've been hooked. There is a certain beauty that this band captures throughout, the balance between the always-on intensity present on every track with the often uplifting songwriting and musical precision that is scarcely found together in modern indie bands (just think Catfish and the Bottlemen) and it is wonderful.

I can't deny the flaws on this album, it's most certainly not a perfect release, but for the most part the thing letting them down is just the buildup versus the payoff, as they excel at enticing but do occasionally forget to hit quite as hard as they should. I find this lack of a real drop only presents itself as an issue on songs that build in a certain way, for instance the half-ballad "Guilty" with it's thoroughly underwhelming riffage in the latter half of the song. It's not something that happens often, but it is noticeable more than once here. More often the flaws are minor with a poor lyrical choice here and a mushy mix there, nothing that ruins a song as with the earlier nitpick.

Despite this jab at a couple of poor lyrics, overall the writing is the best it's ever been with Theresa successfully delivering uplifting and positive sentiments on mental health and toxic relationships, the fuel of the album really. What I truly respect is her ability to present herself as the weak, self-deprecating victim as much as the empowering figurehead depending on the context, something I wish more popstars presented in their songs. I know keep bringing it up but it really is the balance that makes this album so special, and I have grown to love it for that, flaws and all. It's a modern approach to an old genre, something obvious in the lyrics and in the production and music as many songs feature prominent synths and natural beats played in very tight, controlled ways that reflect the current pop landscape.

Some highlights of the tracklist have to be the gorgeous title track, a supportive ode to an old best friend that demonstrates everything great about this band, including some prime guitar riffage. The aforementioned "Punch Bag" is just a barrage of focused guitars that show off the heaviest side to the band this far, an undoubtedly unexpected but welcome song. Another great cut would be the rerecorded early single "Awake", an extremely commanding and potent track that I wish opened the album instead of the aforementioned singles "Bad Company" and "Lose My Head". The fantastically written "Rockstar" seems to have picked up the most traction on this album, and I can see why as it has perhaps the most memorable chorus (on an album of insanely catchy hooks) and delivers a slice of predictable yet perfect pop rock that oozes the sort of young wisdom I see in lots of my favourite new alternative bands at the moment.

All in all, this is a really great release but not quite an excellent one; it's easily one of the best debut records I've heard in a while but it doesn't quite reach the heights I hoped for. Despite this and an awfully long time spent debating scores for this album (yeah it's been months), Don't Wait 'Til Tomorrow gets a strong 8 out of 10 from me. Seriously check this band out, they deserve to be the next big thing.

Best Songs:
Awake; Don't Wait 'Til Tomorrow; Creature; Punch Bag; The Cure; Fired Up; Rockstar

Worst Songs:
Wake Up; Bad Company

---

"Don't Wait 'Til Tomorrow"

Yonaka

31/05/2019

--