Ethereal and glitchy: Yeule combines the natural and technological in their new album “softscars”

Going into Yeule’s newest album, “softscars,” I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Singaporean artist also known as Nat Ćmiel ended their last project, “Glitch Princess,” with a nearly five-hour closing track, so the direction of the new project was anyone’s guess.

When “softscars” came out on Sept. 22, the music combined Yeule’s glitchy electronic sound, sometimes leaning ambient or dream pop, with rock to make a punchy – yet angelic – shoegaze album.

The opening track, “x w x,” starts with 10 seconds of light, barely audible instrumentals before Yeule’s vocals crash in alongside heavy percussion. This track is noisy; Yeule’s shouted vocals and layered instrumentation dip into lulls of strings that continue through the next verse.

Yeule wastes no time pulling the listener into this album with themes of self-harm, humanity, depression and healing. On “x w x,” they yell, “soft scars on my skin, silicone, porcelain / I’m not one of them, love you till the end” before bursting into a ragged scream that dissolves into the blown-out synths and drums.

The second track, and first single released, “sulky baby” made me fall in love with this project. Each word Yeule sings on the pre-chorus draws further and further out, slowing down the track before they move into the chorus. The loneliness and emptiness of Yeule’s lyrics on this track are juxtaposed against a bursting chorus full of euphoric synths and airy vocals.

“sulky baby” showcases the care Yeule puts into the sounds of the syllables they sing. Here, they focus on repetition of hard “s” sound in lines like “sultry face, sulky in lace, / sex that leaves you effaced.”

In addition to sound, Yeule focuses on the space between their lines. As the light guitar strums and whispery vocals on the end of “sulky baby” fade into the booming drums of the title track, Yeule discusses moving on from past love, “you stabbed me right in the chest / and made me bleed and made me wet / with my own blood drained with love,” pausing for a beat in between each phrase.

While I love Yeule’s new rock sound, I was happy to see a few tracks maintain their signature electronic sound. The track “bloodbunny” flutters with glitchy synths, giving a sense of unrest to the lines “don’t you feel so pure / when you don’t have a body anymore?”

“dazies” is my favorite track on “softscars.” Distorted guitar gives way to Yeule’s quivering vocalizations before singing, “you like rotting in your bed / when was the last time you were fed / enough love.” Here, they use line breaks to give a dual meaning in reference to their eating disorder and the themes of loneliness on the record.

The swirling heaviness of “dazies” leads into “fish in the pool,” a cover of a Shunji Iwai song. In an album wrestling with difficult themes and distorted instruments, the soft piano and wispy vocalizations feel like a breath of fresh air. It’s a somber but sweet moment of rest.

“4ui12” washes in with heavy vocal effects, punchy electronic instrumentation and wailing guitar, lending a disorienting feel to the track. Yeule changes the severity of vocal effect throughout “4ui12,” to make some lines fade into the backtrack, while others come to the forefront and make themselves heard.

The ballad “ghosts” employs a similar tactic. Softly strummed guitar strings run throughout the track, along with melodic synths and Yeule’s voice singing a high melody reflecting on lost love and their own humanity. The track ends hauntingly, as Yeule whispers, “if only I could be / real enough to love.”

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Yeule jumps into “software update” with jarring static before launching into a buzzing guitar layered underneath a gorgeous vocal performance. Here, Yeule sings about their past traumas coupled with themes of appearing online.

This is the heart of an album grappling with identity in a digital age and scars, both literal and figurative. As Yeule heals, their body carries their story, as does their online presence: “when I leave my body, / you can download my mind, / and pick out the pretty parts for you.”

“aphex twin flame” closes out the album. It starts off slow and subdued before breaking into a triumphant refrain: “I have one name / aphex twin flame.”

While this album dwells in the darkness of mental illness, it ends on a lighter note, finding connection through other artists and self-realization.

This album is stunning. Yeule blends their trademark glitchy dream pop sounds with shoegaze to give us “softscars,” a heavy record sprinkled with ethereal moments looking to lighter places. “softscars” is definitely a contender for album of the year, and I can’t stop listening to it.

Rating: 9/10

zimmersf@miamioh.edu