yeule embarks into the ethereal in ‘Evangelic Girl is a Gun’
Cover art for Evangelic Girl is a Gun
yeule is an artist who is staunchly devoted to their own authentic craft, making it look easy to create such compelling emotional themes through their inquisitive lyricism and expansive musical soundscape. Their extensive discography has featured a dazzling kaleidoscope of genres since the release of their first EP back in 2014, spanning from haunting ambient tracks to bubbly synth pop ballads to dreamy flurries of shoegaze. Nat Ćmiel, the visionary behind the yeule project, once again delivers a powerful testament to their artistry with their fourth album, Evangelic Girl is a Gun, solidifying their ever-evolving creative prowess with 10 stellar new tracks.
yeule’s sound is constantly evolving, yet they retain a fluid musical development that shows sonic growth stemming from each of their prior releases. Evangelic Girl is a Gun can be broadly defined as an indie or alternative rock project, but the record is still decorated with lush sprinkles of glitch pop, industrial rock, and a plethora of other genre influences. "Eko" was yeule’s introduction to their latest musical era, setting the tone of the era with a glimmering pop rock track filled with edgy infatuation. yeule sings about love as something nearly unimaginable, exploring how “She's living, breathing unreal being who lives inside my head / All this time, always I find she's rotting, crystal, diamond, shining.” With an infectious bassline and wispy synthwork, there’s few better ways that yeule could’ve welcomed listeners into the world they’ve created in their newest project.
The first few tracks of the album alongside "Eko" introduce a really interesting musical texture through the guitar in the song. The prominent guitar instrumentation in "The Girl Who Sold Her Face" and "1967" add a certain grit and twang into the tracks that maximizes the heavier rock feel of the album without severing from the electronic influence of yeule’s work. This development certainly follows the path laid out in their previous album, Softscars; while "The Girl Who Sold Her Face" and "1967" are far from being stripped instrumentally, the guitar adds vulnerability and contrast that fuel the explosions of sound throughout Evangelic Girl is a Gun incredibly enticing. This theme of blending more traditional pop music conventions alongside yeule’s signature experimental flair mesh flawlessly throughout the entire album. While it might take a few listens to notice how intricately every track has been produced and written, there’s not a single second wasted throughout the entirety of the album’s run-time.
yeule excels in this dynamic duality throughout their entire recent record. "Dudu" is one of the most particularly impressive tracks from the album. The song melts with light, airy vocals and buttery, warm synths that float throughout the instrumental; however, the song slices through with a metallic and crisp beat to enhance the otherworldly energy of the song. The music elements seem like they should be dissonant on paper, but they blend together flawlessly in "Dudu." The contrast of the music leads perfectly into the lyrical content of the song. yeule sings about how "I can disappear whenever I want / But I can’t make you love me when I want / I love everything that you say and do / But I know I can’t have you." "Dudu" is itself a trance of a mystical love that yeule knows they cannot grasp onto, a constant duality between the painful reality they must cope with and the visions they have within their own mind. The track is composed incredibly from every aspect; "Dudu" is an astral experience that makes listeners levitate.
"Saiko" heavily reminisces on the sonic aesthetic of yeule’s sophomore record, Glitch Princess, yet it still fits perfectly into the world they’ve created in Evangelic Girl is a Gun. yeule glides through glossy high notes in the track’s chorus. The melody already refuses to leave your mind after hearing it; however, the track features yeule’s most impressive vocal performance, making "Saiko" that much more addicting to listen to. "Saiko" is co-produced by both Nat Ćmiel and the renowned A.G Cook. With such a duo, there’s no surprise that the electronic nature of the track sounds simply heavenly to listen to. Ćmiel and Cook enhance the tracks sound by capitalizing on the aforementioned stripped moments throughout the album, adding a tinge of Midwest emo through the guitar that truly captures the inherent yearning within the song’s lyrics and instrumentation.
While the whole project is incredible, there’s no denying that the most definitive representation of what the album is about is the title track. "Evangelic Girl is a Gun" speaks for itself, leaving listeners stumbling for words just to convey how impressive the track is. It’s a high energy track that fully encapsulates the futuristic goth aesthetic that yeule has imbued within the project. The song gets better and better within its run-time, and it doesn’t stop getting better even if you leave it on repeat. One of the highlights of the song is the switch up on the beat after the song’s first chorus. The electronics of the song seamlessly switch from a more industrial basis to a more dance-oriented flow; it’s hard to believe how yeule pulls it off, but it’s mind-blowing and completely addicting. The track takes every single element that makes the album great and culminates it into one brilliantly crafted anthem that serves as the zenith of Evangelic Girl is a Gun.
The album concludes with the track "Skullcrusher," a track that fully embraces the murmurs of industrial rock present throughout the rest of the album. The track runs on the shorter side, signifying a somewhat abrupt end to the project. However, this move feels intentional from yeule; they sing about how “All I want to do is love you, oh / But all you want to be is in a dream.” This ruminative energy radiates throughout the entirety of "Skullcrusher," making it seem like the cliffhanger to a love that should be what will be. As they stare into the sun in "Skullcrusher," yeule asks the question of whether or not someone’s ambitions can ever truly be satisfied, or if there’s a deeper sense of pining that will always keep one from achieving the sense of heaven they so desperately desire.