It’s worth noting when a band is compared in sound to the likes of The National and Arcade Fire. It’s even more notable when that band has under their belt a healthy catalogue of tracks across two successfully crowd-funded albums, and even more worldwide shows in locales as far afield as Australia, all without a record label rep in sight. When a band’s sound is at once so gravity-defyingly rich and minutely fine-tuned, it’s difficult not to become hooked; and when that band releases a new single from their upcoming third album, you pay attention.
‘Red Paranoia’ is Yossarian‘s lead single from upcoming album All These Fictions, which will be their third LP to be successfully crowd-funded by fans. And if that show of dedication from their listeners isn’t a good enough advert for what Yossarian are all about, ‘Red Paranoia’ more than does the trick.
The London collective’s sound across their two previous albums has painted a rich picture, although the feelings their music evokes have remained the same. Both first effort The Little We Know – often cavernous and usually majestic – and sophomore record Light Up My Head – more understated and subtly relentless – convey a sense of existential wonder that’s both introspective and outwardly cathartic, and ‘Red Paranoia’ is no different. Frontman Ash’s opening salvo proclaims “This old world / I’ll destroy myself”, while the pre-chorus ominously warns that “They’re coming to get you” and the underlying percussion provides a perpetuity of motion that does justice to the titular paranoia of the song’s speaker. The combination of Ash’s low drawl and the primal drive of the instrumentation during the verse keeps that existential dread and fear locked up inside, before the glittering, interstellar chords of the chorus launch it into space and the unknown.
The new track is another well-placed step on Yossarian’s journey, and provides another glimpse into a developing sound that has been fascinating from the beginning. What’s more, ‘Red Paranoia’ is the perfect reminder that artists and their music need nothing more to resonate with their audience than a burning passion for the craft and a whole-hearted belief in the message. Yossarian have certainly got that.
Yossarian celebrate the release of ‘Red Paranoia’ on Monday 10th of September with a launch party, for which info on tickets can be found here. Listen to ‘Red Paranoia’ below or on Spotify.
Words by Ben Kitto
