It’s time for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to crash back into our lives. Upcoming release ‘Cool It Down’ will serve as the indie rock trio’s first album in nine years and it’s shaping up to be even more stunning than their previous work. Following on from the Perfume Genius-assisted single ‘Spitting Off the Edge of the World’, the whimsical ‘Burning’ provides us with the latest taste of the album.
With its sparkling undercurrent of tambourines, ‘Burning’ pulses with danceable energy, it’s bright instrumental and strong rhythm infectious throughout. Karen O’s soulful vocals only add to the magic, merging with the sharp flow of the track, consumed by the sparkling sound. Produced alongside Andrew Wyatt, the track’s evocations are inspired by an actual fire in Karen O’s apartment when she was 19.
Speaking on the track, Karen O says: “one night, a roommate dragged me out of the apartment for an impromptu drink across the street, and I left a votive candle burning…I came home to find that a natural disaster had occurred (to my room) and most of my stuff, lost in the flames. Oddly enough, the items that held the most sentimental value remained intact…”
She continues: “I had photos of my parents in their youth where the fire burnt around the two of them as if there was some intangible force field protecting them, many photos like that, mysteriously leaving the beloved subjects untouched. If the world is on fire I hope the most beloved stay protected and that we do all we can to protect what we cherish most in this life…‘Burning’ is a song about that feeling, smoke signals for the soul.”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are set to present ten shows for BBC Radio 6 Music’s ‘Artist in Residence’ series. The shows will be on Wednesdays, 12am-1am from 24th August – 26th October. The shows will be available on BBC Sounds.
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Words: Emily Swingle
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