A terrifying screech, heavy breathing and a deep and mysterious bass introduce listeners to the new Yves Tumor. The element of surprise and unsettling synths almost creep through the vocals, slowly progressing through the beat and Tumor’s monotone, blunt but high-pitched voice graces the instrumental. The forefront of Black surrealism in the music industry arrives with yet another eerie, experimental, rock-punk-electronic fusion album released March 17, 2023: “Praise a Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)”.

Lurking in the shadows of experimental rock, Tumor remains an extremely mysterious figure in the music community. Even after over a decade of working with other experimental artists such as Mykki Blanco, Tumor’s age remains unknown. Enrapturing new listeners with enigma, their music oozes the same feel. Synthy guitars and a deep bassline, paired with the high-pitched vocals of Tumor, create an enchanting but unsettling dissonance in Tumor’s creations. After the release of the experimental album “Safe in the Hands of Love”, Yves knew exactly who they wanted to portray themselves as–an experimental rockstar.

Three years after “Heaven To a Tortured Mind”, listeners meet Tumor again through the creativity of their work. Continuing their references to the Christian faith, the scrutiny of humanity and the integration of inspiration from queer literature and bands, Tumor breathes life to “Praise a Lord Who Chews…” with 70’s riffs, pop-punk and R&B influence. Beginning the album beautifully with “God is a Circle”, Tumor does not back down from questioning the uncertainty of now. Christians use the term “God is a circle” to reference the saying coined by French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire, “God is a circle whose centre is everywhere, whose circumference is nowhere” from the medieval text “The Book of the 24 Philosophers”. With the lyrics “same old dance, same old dance” and “my mama said that God sees everything”, listeners receive a deeper look at their views on life and faith. Considering Tumor’s childhood living in Knoxville, Tennessee which they described as a “very conservative, racist, homophobic, sexist environment,” these subjects seem remarkably personal for the artist. Not even stopping there—the song’s tension shows Tumor’s state of mind while their thoughts race with heavy, anxiety-ridden breathing crouching behind Tumor’s vocals and distant screeches; the backing vocals sound comparable to a modern surrealist slasher horror soundtrack. Tumor questions their uncertain spirit, the oddness of the Black queerness and deliberates the absurdness of the human condition. 

“This was actually the first album I ever heard from them and I was kinda surprised, I thought it was gonna be R&B. The album was really surprising because I wasn’t expecting a genre and it was really unique in my opinion. I also watched the music video for one of the songs and it was super weird but I actually liked it,” junior Samara Weatherly said.

Ideals of true heaven and humanity plague Tumor’s lyrics, as if hands reach for an answer to their love life through questions and pleas. Lyrics such as “are you my lord and savior?/I need a reason to believe/baby, please never take me home” in contrast to lyrics such as “What makes you feel so important?/Can you spell it out for us?” shows Tumor’s uncertainty with their life, especially when regarding their personal relationships. Tumor deliberately uses “you” “we” and “I” as they ask questions to themselves, to current or previous lovers, to the audience and even God himself. 

“So, it’s like a circle, and I don’t want anybody to depend on me. If you say you love me and you, like, your happiness only depends on me, it might not be true love. Maybe it’s something you need and you want, but you think it’s love, it’s not love,” Tumor said in “Echolalia”.

As the album moves on from mentions of family, God and uncertainty, Tumor slowly adopts the concept of continuity and accepting the truth of consciousness, even if time seems to revolve in a circle; this topic expands in the groovy, electric bass-driven song “In Spite of War” inspired by the poem of the same name by Angela Morgan. In Morgan’s poem, the lines “wake from the nightmare! Look and see/That life is naught but ecstasy/In spite of war, in spite of death!” support that no matter what, life continues to move, even in the heat of war, chaos and hell, there also remains passion, hope and heaven. By the last track on the album, “Ebony Eye”, the hopeful guitar matched with reassuring synths resembled a holy gospel, “I can’t describe this glowing light/There’s no other way than the pearly gates/I found my holy place.” Tumor’s album stands as a call to action—not exactly a solution but a start—to finding a way to find peace with the past and the potential future. 

The Chant’s Grade: A