ALBUM REVIEW: Tune-Yards - Better Dreaming
The duo finally gets back to alt-pop that pops.
Ever since 2014’s Nikki Nack, I’ve been waiting for the next great Tune-Yards record. That album full of messy yet addicting alt-pop collages dominated much of my later college career, and it’s still one of my favorite albums of the 2010’s to this day. Perhaps growing older is realizing your favorite college artists rarely reach those highs again, but also learning to appreciate their artistic intentions anyway. If not a complete return to form for the Merrill Garbus and Ryan Brenner-fronted project, Better Dreaming has more catchy grooves and memorable performances than both of Tune-Yards’ last two records combined.
Though not nearly as busy as the band’s previous best, there’s a lot of layers to the best songs on Better Dreaming. Songs built around simple drum loops like “Get Through” and “Heartbreak” grow well, building upon the percussion and Garbus’ voice to a fever pitch that’s never too much for its own good. The catchiest song is “Limelight”; the pastiche of a loopy bass, Garbus’ energetic bellows and a dynamite chorus have Tune-Yards sounding as good as they have in ages. The groovy bass dominates “How Big Is The Rainbow”, and its pattering drums and swirling chorus give the song a strong backbone to jam to. Nothing approaches the chaotic peak of their early work, but the duo do enough here to keep things consistently interesting.
Garbus herself remains as idiosyncratic of a vocalist as ever, and when a song’s melody is slower or more uninteresting than others, she’s the sinew that keeps Better Dreaming chugging forward. Whether she’s reaching the highest of highs with multi-tracked vocals on “Sanctuary” or getting lost within her own pipes on “Perpetual Motion”, she matches the vibe of each track to a T. And where she struggled to leave an impact on recent records with her writing (a la 2018’s dreadful I can feel you creep into my private life), here she’s informed by having a child and yearning to teach the future generations the ideals she holds close. By weaving her “anti-fascist, liberation freak flag” into the lyrics instead of just beating you over the head with it, the message is that much more effective.
Tune-Yards is probably never going to be as compelling as they were on their earlier work, and that’s okay when they find ways to evolve their alt-pop like this. Their life experiences have worked their way into their music for the better, and though it doesn’t always click (the title track is a total dud), Better Dreaming can party like it’s 2014 all over again. In the same ways I’ve adapted to appreciating artists in new ways, Tune-Yards have adapted their music to be appreciated in new ways. So lock in and get ready to dance, because for the first time in a long time, the band’s tunes are worthy of your moves.
Verdict: 7.5/10
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