There are many arresting moments across the new Everlasting Yeah record, but there’s none better than the pure flow of ‘Myself When I Am Real’. Sure enough, you have great musicians with a provenance that goes back to The Petrol Emotion and then further, to Damian’s place in The Undertones. And for this track, they roll and coil for over seven minutes, relishing their simpatico groove, clearly aware that a cool thing is in process.
Raymond and Damian throw down expert guitar lines like card sharks, upping the other’s expectations. It’s not frivolous to compare this to the work of Television’s Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. It’s all surprise and invention, and when the vocals arrive after four minutes of this, you find yourself grinning broadly.
The previous record by The Everlasting Yeah was the excellent Anima Rising in 2014. In the duration, there has been illness and life changes. Happily, Staying Cool Staying Free sounds light and engaged. ‘Rise Up’ proclaims love with a knockabout skill, akin to The Replacements. There’s a folksy interlude with ‘You Can’t Hold Water’ plus a big opener, ‘The Girl From Miki City’ that hails New York’s punk ancestors and their mission of artistic liberty.
Ideally, there’s won’t be a ten year wait for album three. The Everlasting Yeah is an affirmative move by longstanding mates to keep their values intact. Nothing to prove but a good deal to appreciate.
Stuart Bailie
The Everlasting Yeah, Staying Cool Staying Free is available on Bandcamp here
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