The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are Back!!!

The YYYs have returned in full-force and, damn, does it make leather jackets and red lipstick look good. Lead singer Karen O, drummer Brian Chase, and guitarist Nick Zinner released their third full-length studio album, It’s Blitz! this past month. The record, which has been highly hyped due to some “release controversy,” was originally set for release April 13, but after a leak of the album onto the internet February 23 the release date was pushed forward to March 9 and March 31, for the digital and physical version, respectively, and an international debut April 6. But, hey, the most important thing is that the album is out!

Attention die-hard YYYs fans: brace yourself. While the YYYs have stayed true to their roots of sex-strutting rock, It’s Blitz! is surely unlike any other YYYs album. Gone are the epic guitar riffs of Zinner; gone is the gritty garage-rock of years past. It’s Blitz! is a menagerie of O’s quivering punk vocals, Zinner’s penchant for vintage synthesizer beats, and Chase’s pitter-patter on his drums as the band’s driving heartbeat. And, although the band is obviously growing older, It’s Blitz! seriously sounds like the YYYs have never had so much fun making an album. And this merry-making only reminds you that Karen O is still hands down the sexiest lead singer of our generation. The most compelling element of It’s Blitz!, though, is the YYYs’ ability to incorporate their soul-slamming, royally avant-punk rock with a much softer, mature, refined side of the band that the public has never seen before.

One the first go-round, one might be a bit mystified by the YYYs new sound. “Dragon Queen,” and “Heads Will Roll” remind you that dancing is something you don’t just do in your bedroom. “Hysteric,” “Little Shadow,” “Runaway,” “Skeletons,” and “Soft Shock” are like little rock lullabies that float around the album, but are obviously purposeful and definitely make you want to swoon. These lullabies are where the YYYs maturation shines it’s strongest. And “Zero” and “Shame and Fortune” drive home those classic rock hits. The only song that resonates with the old YYYs is “Dull Life,” which is reminiscent of old O’s fem-punk screams, Zinner’s stellar guitar, and Chase definitely gets into pounding on his drum set.

This progression to a more dancey set seems almost obvious: music in America is shifting towards pop-heavy (omg, like, if that's remotely possible), electro, post-punk genres (yes, yes, ok – dare to disagree, this is an opinion piece). Additionally, the YYYs have, to put it explicitly, reached their sexual peak. It’s Blitz! certainly touches upon the YYYs more sentimental, nostalgic side, with a streak of synth-brilliance and much deserved tranquility (if that is at all a possibility for this band!).

If you don’t have this album, buy it! This might be one that your kids ask you about when you’re a geezer. If NME can say that "It’s Blitz!'s heartfelt love letter to the transcendent possibilities of the dancefloor and is an unexpectedly emphatic reassertion of why Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of the most exciting bands of this decade,” and Spin can claim that it is " the alternative pop album of the decade—one that imbues The Killers' Hot Fuss and MGMT's Oracular Spectacular with a remarkable emotional depth and finesse" – phew, baby, that’s heavy stuff.

Post written by Anna Lise Kvan.