Pick of the Week: Yves Tumor “Echolalia”

By Breanna Nesbeth, Music Coordinator

They’re back! Subversive, alternative rockstar Yves Tumor shared the track “Echolalia” to announce their forthcoming album Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds). 

Since their widely acclaimed 2020 album Heaven To A Tortured Mind, Yves Tumor has provided fans with a steady supply of music. Their 2021 EP, The Asymptical World, and recent single, “God Is a Circle,” both received much acclaim. 

Tumor sings “Echolalia” with a masochist’s tenderness. On the track, the musician opens themselves to their lover. This vulnerability results in pain that feels too good. 

THE PHILOSOPHY 

The focus tracks for Tumor’s upcoming album: “God Is a Circle,” “Echolalia,” and “Heaven Surrounds Us Like A Hood,” all have a lyrical focus that leans more towards Apocrypha than songwriting—and it’s all completely intentional. 

Tumor is a between-the-lines musical explorer, who disregards genre conventions. They push the boundaries of pop music by inserting elements of rock, psychedelia, and electronica. Subsequently, they have created an original, eclectic sound during their more than half-a-decade-long career. 

On this forthcoming album, fans can see Tumor taking this experimentation a step further—it seems as though the musician is taking listeners on a journey through their complex relationship with spirituality.

Between the genre-bending and insertion of religious motifs, Tumor is doing quite a bit of world-building for this album.

ECHOLALIA

Echolalia occurs when a person, oftentimes unintentionally, echoes the words or sounds of others. Tumor demonstrates this with lyrics over crashing cymbals, syncopated drumming, and driving basslines. 

First, they wistfully sing the word “God” in single syllables. This vocalization is followed by the line: “Looked up to God (Uh-uh, uh-uh, uh). She looked so good (Mm-mm, mm-mm, mm). Want you to knock it off (Uh-uh, uh-uh, uh)” 

Likewise, after the completion of the verse, the same use of echolalia stretches into the hook: “We can play the part (Uh-uh, uh-uh, uh). You know that you're making me uncomfortable.” This lyrical pattern repeats until the song’s interlude.

The spoken interlude spells out the philosophy of the song: “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.”

Ultimately, “Echolalia” is a sweet compliment to the jagged abjection of Tumor’s previous track “God Is a Circle.”

WHAT’S NEXT 

Yves Tumor is creating a boundless sound of experimental, electronic pop without any signs of stopping. After the explosive success of their past releases, this next album is a highly anticipated one. If “Echolalia” is any basis for what it entails, it’s sure to deliver. 

Yves Tumor will kick off a tour for the new album, beginning with sets at Coachella. Then they’ll hit major cities across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the U.K.

Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) will be released on March 17th. 

Every Monday, our music staff brings you a new Pick of The Week, detailing some of our favorite songs. Check out our previous Picks of the Week here, and make sure to tune in to WERS 88.9FM!