Yin Yin, “Yatta!” (Glitterbeat, 2026)
This genre-blurring Dutch quartet describes their sound as a “joyous mix of disco, funk, surf, psychedelia, and Southeast Asian motifs,” but the way those influences are juggled and balanced has been in a continual state of flux since the band’s earliest singles. That stylistic volatility seems to be by design, however, as co-founder/drummer Kees Berkers notes that the band’s name differs from Yin Yang in that it alludes to “two negative forces that cannot reach a common ground” and that the band’s mission is about “finding a balance in the unbalanced.” Unsurprisingly, that approach has resulted in a bit of hit-or-miss discography over the years, but Yīn Yīn can be a hell of a great band when all of their colliding influences come together just right. In this case, the band’s unbalanced balance most often sounds like an excellent surf guitarist backed by a solid disco rhythm section and it characteristically yields yet another handful of fun and eclectic singles.
Amusingly, Berkers notes that a formative event in this project’s history was the discovery of “a couple of compilation albums of psychedelic ‘60s and ‘70s guitar music from Southeast Asia” which led them to “YouTube channels where we couldn’t read anything because everything was in Thai letters or in Chinese symbols– and that felt like we found the treasure!” Predictably, I was sucked down a very similar rabbit hole myself many years ago by Soundway’s The Sound of Siam compilation and I am struck by the Ouroboros-like cycle of influences on display here: so much great music came out of Southeast Asia and Africa in the ‘60s and ‘70s because traditional music collided with an influx of Western pop influences and enterprising artists eagerly borrowed and assimilated all of the hip new sounds that they could find.
Now, five decades later, a band from the Netherlands is passionately devoted to resurrecting that same freewheeling “anything goes” era by channeling all their favorite Southeast Asian bands. That said, Yīn Yīn admittedly have a more amplified kitsch factor than their inventive and resourceful predecessors, as they have a pronounced fondness for the poppier side of both ‘70s disco and ‘80s Italo disco. That tendency is most evident on pieces like “Elma” and “Mooncake Melody,” as I feel like I just got blindsided in an elevator by surprisingly sizzling Muzak versions of imaginary early ‘80s soul bangers.
In theory, both of those pieces rank among Yatta!’s highlights, but Yīn Yīn are not always successful at translating great moments into great songs. For example, “Mooncake Melody” features both a cool groove and a great backwards guitar passage, but the twangy major key melody of the (instrumental) chorus leaves me a bit cold (as do several of the album’s other rampant key changes). In fact, I would describe the entire album as a mixture of cool ideas taken in mystifying directions and mystifying ideas taken in cool directions. To be fair, I would much rather be wrong-footed or baffled than bored, but I do genuinely wonder what the hell the band were thinking at times. A prime example of that phenomenon are the stretches of “In Search of Yang” that sound like Lipps Inc. attempting a Pink Floyd medley, but there are a decent number of legitimate hits lurking in this mixed bag as well.
The most obvious gem is the “1960s Japanese soul-funk spy movie theme” magic of “Lecker Song,” which starts off as a groovy bit of surf guitar twang but blossoms into something considerably more compelling and unique once the Asian-sounding string motif and koto-inspired melodies come in. The brief “Night in Taipai” is wonderful as well, as a sultry and sensuous surf guitar melody unfolds over a backdrop of bleary Mellotron flutes. I’m also quite fond of the simmering and stripped down “Pattaya Wrangler,” as it is a fine showcase for the fluid, tremolo-soaked exotica of guitarist Erik Bandt, but the band were definitely not short on good ideas and strong hooks throughout this entire release. While I am hoping that Yīn Yīn will continue to get better at sharpening their vision into something that feels less like an endearing pastiche of cool influences in the future (and perhaps start celebrating the sexier side of disco a bit as well), all of the stars are already in alignment for such a leap forward (excellent musicianship, cool and unusual influences, hooks for days, etc.). In the meantime, Yatta! is quite a charmingly fun and eclectic rung in that evolution.
Listen here.
