by Ryan Meyer (@meyer_ryan_twt)
A worthy listen over a year after its release, Nicole Yun’s Matter offers palatable guitar pop with enough jagged edges to maintain indie credibility. Yun’s second solo album since shelving her band Eternal Summers, reaches for the sky a little more than her first, Paper Suit. The songs are more easily envisioned as being performed to bigger crowds in huge outdoor venues. “Desperation I Know,” with its delay-ridden lead guitar and U2-esque outro, is particularly ambitious and lands nicely.
Most of the record resides in a wheelhouse also occupied by the Canadian power-pop band Alvvays, and Yun’s quiet-loud vocal approach is particularly reminiscent of that band’s Molly Rankin. Yun, however, filters her brand of power-pop through louder, crunchier guitars and clear and concise production. In her bio, it’s stated that her preferences run along the lines of 90s alternative, as opposed to the dreamier leanings of Eternal Summers. It makes for an enjoyable sound, casting pop affectations over tight, often rollicking rhythms.
For a solo artist to have the vision to create a record with a full-band sound is no small feat, and Yun not only does so with seemingly relative ease, she emerged with a record that features half an hour of solid, thorough indie rock that can appeal to just about any fan of the genre from any generation.