Yumi Zouma – No Love Lost To Kindness (Nettwerk) (13th Floor Album Review)
Four cities, three continents, one band, one fifth studio album. Yumi Zouma have mastered long-distance band polymerization, turning geographic separation into creative fuel.
On No Love Lost To Kindness, the quartet delivers a dream-pop album brimming with seducing synths, raw and intimate vocals, and production that keeps you upright one moment and on your knees the next. It’s an album that moves you emotionally, physically, restlessly.
The record opens with Cross My Heart and Hope to Die, beginning on a gentle strum of guitar chords before a quick rise of percussion ushers the song into motion. When the vocals enter, it’s like Michael Jackson sliding onto the stage, smooth, elegant, full of understated swagger. Christie Simpson’s synth-like vocal delivery glides effortlessly over the backing textures, lifting the listener if they’re willing to surrender. It’s not a track that demands dancing, but one that quietly convinces you to get out of bed and face the day.
That calm gives way to momentum on Bashville on the Sugar, driven by an addictive bassline that hums with the grit and propulsion of Cage the Elephant at their most kinetic. Angular guitars and compressed drums sharpen the track’s edge, injecting urgency without sacrificing melody. That intensity peaks on Blister, which feels like a clear statement of intent for this new era. Simpson’s vocal performance is raw and commanding, her repeated cry of “Why you gotta do me like that?!” transforming the song into a moment of genuine rock swagger. It’s playful yet confrontational, a decisive break from the band’s once-gauzy comfort zone.
As a whole, No Love Lost To Kindness feels like a breath of fresh air shaped by percussion, synths, and retro touchstones that blend seamlessly into something timeless. The album smells like an old American diner while sounding like the tapping of glass for a long-forgotten Tumblr post. There are faded outros that echo the ’90s, sprinkles of vintage sounds like a Nokia ringtone, and synths that resonate with modern dance-pop of today.
At the emotional core of the record sits Drag, a slow-burning, grunge-leaning standout that traces Simpson’s journey following an ADHD diagnosis. Distorted guitars, industrial synth textures, and a massive, cathartic chorus work together to balance grief for lost time with the relief of self-acceptance. It’s deeply personal without becoming insular, transforming vulnerability into something expansive and anthemic. The muffled vocals before the chorus hit like a brief rush of euphoria, pulling you under before lifting you back into the light.
It’s no surprise that Yumi Zouma once shared stages with Fazerdaze. Their similar sound is undeniable. There’s a rawness to the vocal delivery that somehow still feels dreamy and soft, often paired with static-filtered guitar riffs and diary-entry lyricism. That intimacy shines brightest on Phoebe’s Song, which transports you effortlessly through its honesty. Lines like “Coz I want to see you again and again, making movies at the back of my head, a collection of your weirdest weekends” feel achingly personal. The Nokia-style ringtone tucked into the background pulls you straight back to the early 2000s, when life felt lighter, digicams in the club, Friday nights that never ended, and friendships that felt infinite. That sense of nostalgic freedom is what this song captures so vividly.
The record closes with Waiting For The Cards To Fall, a melancholic reflection backed by slow, light percussion. Simpson’s voice turns soothing and angelic, reminiscent of The Marías, and when she sings “Something wasn’t right with us,” it lands like a quiet stake to the heart. The song feels like staring into a hopeless future while still understanding, deep down, that this is simply how life unfolds. The echoing outro leaves you suspended, pondering family ties and relationships that have grown quiet under the weight of distance.
What makes No Love Lost To Kindness resonate isn’t just its heavier sound, but the honesty beneath it. The friction and anxiety that shaped the record, missed connections, impossible time zones, creative strain, are etched into every track. This isn’t a polished escape. It’s a document of endurance, where love, frustration, joy, and fear collide in real time.
In pushing away from softness and comfort, Yumi Zouma haven’t lost their melodic instinct or emotional warmth. They’ve sharpened it. No Love Lost To Kindness is the sound of a band refusing to stand still, proving that distance, friction, and change aren’t obstacles. They’re catalysts. After more than ten years together, Yumi Zouma don’t sound fractured. They sound fearless.
No Love Lost To Kindness is due out Friday, Jan 30th via Nettwerk Records.
Azrie Azizi
