Yves Tumor’s “Gospel for a New Century” is pop with an added dose of kickass

If ever there was any doubt about Yves Tumor‘s pop bona fides, singles like 2018’s “Noid,” from Safe in the Hands of Love, put that to rest. The enigmatic artist’s background in experimental and dark ambient textures, if anything, only made him a more intriguing candidate for tackling hook-forward, dancefloor-ready tracks. “Gospel for a New Century” isn’t necessarily his most immediate single to date, but it’s certainly one of his most arresting. A bold explosion of horns comes crashing through, signifying the fanfare of Wu-Tang Clan at their most triumphant through the art pop groove of a similarly iconoclastic pop figure such as FKA twigs or Arca—and about 40 percent more kickass. Yet despite the heavier impact, and the garish devil outfit he wears in the video, Yves Tumor uses this subwoofer-rocking exoskeleton to encase a broken heart: “‘Cause when I really needed you the most, yeah, you were gone then.” It’s in this moment that this thunderous, intense aesthetic isn’t just a majestic studio creation, but some utterly satisfying therapy as well.

From Heaven to a Tortured Mind, out April 3 via Warp.