While there are still flourishes of guitar throughout the album, the opening track "Tequila Coma" displays something much closer to trip-hop, as popularised by acts like Massive Attack in the 90s. While softscars had a fair share of grit and edge to it - suitable, given the album's running theme of mental health and each track representing a different "scar" that they have been through - Everything feels a lot more laid back on Evangelic Girl is a Gun. First single "Eko" feels much more like a call back to their earlier glitch pop input, albeit with a more polished and accessible sound.
There are moments where the glitchiness that got yeule where they are now are still present in flashes, like in "1967", which feels like it takes its cue from the more alternative approach of softscars. "Dudu" is a definite highlight of the album, with its bouncy upbeat melody and strongest vocal performance of the whole album making it a real pop gem that surely deserves to push yeule into pop radio, and it's a crime that it is not on frequent rotation already. The final stretch of the album is actually the best run of tracks on the entirety of Evangelic Girl is a Gun, really honing in on the trip-hop influences and letting the flow click into place from "Dudu" through to the title track.
One problem is that, as yeule continues to change their sound and get closer to that mainstream breakthrough, one starts to feel like parts of the album have been somewhat rushed out. There are tracks which feel incomplete or just sort of pass by without much fanfare like "The Girl Without a Face" and "VV", and "Skullcrusher" feels like an odd choice for a single. While it shows yeule flexing their Deftones influence with moody guitar playing, it works excellently as the album's closing track with the context of the rest of the album, but doesn't really work as a single.
Most of the tracks clock in at less than 3 minutes, so while digestible for the passive listener, it leaves others feeling somewhat unsatisfied with the end product. Are the tracks bad? Absolutely not, but do they reach the same level of Serotonin II or Glitch Princess? It's almost as though yeule is a victim of their own high standards, because while there is little wrong with Evangelic Girl is a Gun is a perfectly strong album in its own right, it just fails to hit the lofty heights of its predecessors. But, given how strong their back catalogue is, having their weakest album merely being "very good" should be considered testament to how good the rest of their discography is.
Evangelic Girl is a Gun is out now via Ninja Tune. Stream and buy the album below.
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