Yumi Zouma - Willowbank (Cascine) 2017
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On their sophomore effort, Yumi Zouma are ready to conquer the dream pop world with one of the most engaging and well-crafted efforts of 2017. Willowbank was recorded last December around the Christmas holidays in the warm New Zealand summer as these internationally dispersed New Zealanders decided to head home to record this album, making it the first significant work written and recorded entirely in their home country.
There’s such an old-timey, calming and peaceful flair to the vocals on Willowbank. Christie Simpson’s vocals are charming and expressive, making you to easily fall in love Yumi Zouma’s moody and perfectly balanced shifts and very own sonic exploration. Willowbank flows seamlessly from song to song, from their dance floor driven single “Persephone” to their moody and tender lead single “December”. An album that flows on you and creates this sense of spontaneous originality and immediate passion.