YĪN YĪN, the highly touted Dutch quartet from Maastricht, returns with a sonically expansive third album Mount Matsu. Recorded collectively in their own studio in the Belgian countryside, the album is a kaleidoscope of sounds and influences, occupying a no man's land between Khruangbin and Kraftwerk, surf music, and Southeast Asian psychedelia, Stax soul, and mutant '80s disco, city pop, and Japanese instrumental folk (sōkyoku). Mount Matsu sees YĪN YĪN at their most mature and adventurous stage yet. Off-kilter disco tunes with a trans-local character, neo-Thai psych funk jams and folk-styled soul ballads remain central to their sonic identity, and the influx of fresh ideas results in an even more eclectic and effervescent sound image. Mount Matsu marks a step back from the occasionally more Moroder-esque, rhythm-machine and synth-heavy production style of YĪN YĪN. This is encapsulated in the analogue warmth of their valve amp guitar sounds, vintage synth lines and acoustic percussion timbres, evoking the buzz of being in the rehearsal space with the band. Infectious pentatonic melodicism calling for multiple rewinds!
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