Artists with good intentions DO come and go...BOB GELDOF tried the whole “Band Aid” thing, and it was literally like putting a Hello Kitty plaster over a glioblastoma. Forty years later Bob, you’ve re-released the same track more than once with fresh line-ups, gradually getting less Christmassy and more cringeworthy, (Which is a good thing to be fair as you were the musical equivalent of colonialism to an extent) and yet mosquito nets to this day still save more mosquitos from dying of aids than your aid does saving children dying of starvation. DAVID DRAIMAN, I hope your label and PR team leaves you dangling like your stupid fucking chin tusks, for personally signing missiles that’ll undoubtedly kill civilians you tactless cunt. Down with the sickness? You’re just down in everyone's estimations. U2 once hacked us to give us a free album on iTunes...hacked is a strong word, sorry...let me rephrase that; RAPED. U2 forced an album on us without consent, I guess that’s how The Edge gets off? I digress...
Jokes aside, today we’re here to appreciate and learn about YUNGBLUD. Real name Dominic, Yungblud has never shied away from controversy or criticism, be it in his early image and fashion sense on stage, or the sheer honesty of his song writing, to even starting up his own festival to ease the chokehold on extortionate organizers, and, from his emergence on “21st Century Liability”, this Yorkshire-born youngster has grown into one of the most vitally important artists in rock and alternative music. He champions the people, he’s an empath, he cares about community...he cares A LOT, and not many so unashamedly put the people first. 2025 found Yungblud scoring another number one album with “Idols” ...and before we jump into this headfirst, BILLY IDOL once said “Rock isn’t art, it’s the way ordinary people talk”, so let’s talk...
The opening track “Hello Heaven, Hello” is a beautifully ballsy move at just over nine minutes long. There's no short, sharp introduction to this album, we dive straight into the grandiose with an ambitious indie-rock opera, and you know immediately this is going to be something different, something special. It’s a journey of self-discovery, and he’s asking if you’re along for the ride. It’s a track about finding your truth, your identity and the tribulations you persevere through; the ambitions you nurture and the goals you aspire to in the face of negativity and adversity. Amidst an up-beat indie rock core sound we have wonderfully arranged orchestral pieces, hard rock riffs, vocal vitriol and a true longing for life. We take elements of QUEEN, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, BLACK SABBATH, OASIS, THE VERVE...it’s truly a modern rock masterpiece. Yungblud proves you don’t have to play heavy to go hard, as the emotions and eccentricities here are raw and real. This is a superb song...
This transitions wonderfully into “Idols Pt.1” and there are almost James Bond elements here with the string instrumentation. We’ve got another track about diversity and emancipation. Girls and boys are irrelevant here; a gender-fluid ideology of who you really are at heart, and who you aspire to be...it’s a pained track about acceptance and empowerment. We can be our own idols; we can look into ourselves to find strength and belief and we shouldn’t let other people suffocate our dreams. Everyday people, believing in themselves and it's a sweet little melodic indie-pop number.
This then blends wonderfully into the single “Lovesick Lullaby” and the Brit-Pop elements really shine through here. It gives off BLUR “Park Life” vibes with it’s almost narrated verses and light guitar notes, coupled with the simplistic, melodic chorus hooks. The switch between electric and acoustic guitars, the backing gang vocals; it all amounts to this brief but brilliant little track full of character, tackling self-doubt and insecurity. It’s like Dom is having fun with his own vulnerability and personality and acknowledging stifled yet tumultuous emotional dilemmas.
We go straight into the sombre next as we have one of the most emotionally hard-hitting tracks you’ll hear this year, or ever, courtesy of “Zombie”. A truly heart wrenching track about coming to terms with loss, protecting your loved ones from hurt, mental health, and knowing time is precious. It’s about loving unconditionally in the face of hardship and truly knowing that there are people out there that care. There’s a genuine sense of sadness oozing from the guitars here that tearfully carry Yungblud’s tender vocal delivery and it’s a genuinely beautiful ballad; easily an album highlight.
Similar can be said for personal album highlight of mine “Monday Murder”, which carries this jovial, melodious acoustic led guitar tone. It’s light, airy and houses an almost blissful ignorance to the chaos of the world, an apathy to the conflict. It’s touching in its melancholy to the point it acts as a prayer for healing, and a yearning for change. We could go on further about the enormity of the emotional aspects of this album, with simply stunning tracks like “Ghosts” and “War” too, but we’d be here all day. Go and appreciate the album for yourself, not just take my word for it.
YUNGBLUD here has delivered not just a number one album, with some attention-grabbing singles like a pop star, with a cool image...he doesn’t ACT cool, that’s just Dom. He’s delivered an album so raw in genuine emotion, so real and relatable in lyricism, so undiluted in its undeniable passion for growth and togetherness, he’s cemented himself as a Bonafide 21st century rock star.
His aura, his honesty, his dedication, his presence, his charm, his down-to-Earth character...he is legitimately the modern-day rock star the genre and the community NEEDS. “Idols” speaks to every single one of us; we have an idol locked away in all of us, our best self, be it emotionally guarded by walls from trauma, or a lack of confidence, or doubt...this album is a rallying cry for everyone of us to live. Truly LIVE. In just a few short years, his attitude and passion for not just performing, but the people, has seen Yungblud go from a 21st century liability, to absolutely essential listening. [10]
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