It’s quite a pop art name isn’t it? YAANG. Like a comic book sound effect or a frothing, sugary, ‘fruit-based’ drink. I might say they were ‘post-punk’ if a glut of weak-lemon-drink plodders hadn’t made it virtually an insult. Maybe we should say they’re a pop group. Yaang are fully carbonated and unnecessarily caffeinated. A Manchester trio, loosely punk in spirit, they are non genre compliant, bringing enjoyably chaotic energy to whatever it is they’re up to. They have a short attention span, a drum machine and at least one dubious moustache. What you’ve got here, is four different flavours of YAANG.
NO is their debut physical release but they’ve already been a few versions of themselves. If you’ve come here with last year’s boisterous ‘Airport Barfight’ in mind lead track ‘Comfort’ might come as a surprise. It opens on a minute or so of gliding synth before the motorik motion kicks in and chiming guitar starts floating over the top like something from a massive 80s rock power ballad. It’s expansive. It has just one repeating lyric, “comfort me, I just want to be held” which is a sentiment I think we can all relate to at the minute. The whole thing just builds and builds, working up enough momentum that its seven plus minutes fly by.
In contrast with ‘Comfort’s singular forward motion ‘Speed McQueen’ condenses their jumble sale cut ‘n’ paste approach running through beatnik jangle, amphetamine punk, glam stomp and clipped funk over into tortured guitar wailing. It’s probably meant to be a nod to Bowie but there’s a 2006 Pixar-meets-Peaches moment in there I swear. Possibly unconscious, potentially formative for the young Yaang. ‘Til Morning Light’ might be the best tune here, their best one yet, the one where their influences and stray thoughts are most well integrated. Showing off actual songwriting chops and smart dynamics it’s an exhilarating dance-punk floorshaker and feels like their most likely future direction.
Lastly, the clear B-side on a four track EP, ‘Billy’ starts out taking the piss out of Guns ‘n’ Roses and is a frenzied, snotty, punk ‘n’ roll shouter that ought to burn itself out quickly but manages to outstay its welcome (to the jungle). Its only half the length of ‘Comfort’ and has a load more words crammed in but it feels a bit of a redundant thing they did for laugh. As if it isn’t quite silly enough there’s also a quick hidden track of further nonsense. Just for the record, I’m on board with their lack of self seriousness and general sense of making music that is fun.
NO is a right old jumble sale of hand me downs then, or ‘multi-faceted in its approach’ if you prefer. Whatever Yaang is becoming doesn’t seem completely settled yet, they’re still in some squirming larval stage. But that’s exciting, there’s imagination and possibility in the goo. Maybe we can get them to add an extra A to their name with each release. This EP feels like it’ll be scooped up one day with the online singles and other assorted flotsam for an ‘early years’ collection, accompanied by a booklet of old band pics featuring alarming sartorial decisions and clips from remarkably ham fisted early reviews that say stuff like “entirely at home among the other weirdos on Cracked Ankles/ they’re going to be bigger than Queen”.
