Yuck – Self-Titled Album Review

Underneath all the dingy guitars, waves of static, and unavoidable comparisons to ’90s indie rock bands like Sonic Youth and Pavement, the self-titled, debut album from Yuck offers the simple beauty of an even earlier era when rock was made to be overtly fun. The swirling and distorted sounds of opener “Get Away” and the grungier “Rubber” may immediately bring beloved noise rock bands to mind, but the majority of the album’s songs are not as vile as the band’s name suggests. In fact, songs like “The Wall” recall the head-bopping of The Beatles with shameless sunny vibes and youthful exuberance. In similar fashion, “Georgia” is upbeat and contains lovely male and female harmonies. The combination of fuzzy guitars and lighthearted vocals is akin to that of contemporaries like San Francisco’s The Fresh & Onlys.

While it may be easy to focus on Yuck’s noisier tendencies, the rosier songs also beam for attention. The bottom line is that Yuck merely knows how to enjoy the moment. Whether they write a dazed beach tune like “Holing Out” or a heavier instrumental track such as “Rose Gives A Lily,” they give it their all and demonstrate that there can be more than meets the eye.

Doctors In My Bed by Yuck