The lines between genres and styles are always changing and shifting, with combinations between genres having the habit of being hit or miss. But there is no artist that proves how seemingly unrelated genres can complement each other quite like yeule.
The project by Singaporean musician Nat Ćmie has recently reached out to new audiences with the success from the cover of “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl” featured in 2024’s I Saw The TV Glow soundtrack.
Continuing on with this success is yeule’s fourth studio album, Evangelic Girl is a Gun, which mixes influences from 90s alternative rock, shoegaze, trap, and cyber-core to create a sound that both mediates and motivates listeners to immerse themselves in a world tinged with dystopia, obsession, and distortion.
While they are known for their glitch-pop sounds, the album starts off with an oddly groovy and clean bass line in “Tequila Coma.” The more organic-sounding bass and drum machine against yeule’s signature vocals flows nicely but feels a little cataclysmic, hinting at the world that the artist is creating. Overall, the opening song has a relaxed vibe compared to the album’s singles as yeule falls into the dystopian world that fuels the album. A harsh and over-drived guitar solo cuts off this meditation as the final chorus builds and yeule becomes dissolved in the imagery of Evangelic Girl is a Gun. This opener feels like the perfect setup for the album as the sound slowly shifts from a more mainstream alt-rock vibe into the oddity that is yeule.
An acoustic guitar and telephone sound effect start “The Girl Who Sold Her Face,” as yeule divulges the expectation of the “picture perfect porcelain” woman. The song grapples with the objectification of women within the music industry, making analogies between the pressures to continually change your appearance and cannibalism with the line “I’ll drink blood and I’ll chew on bones and I’ll finally be a star.” This harsh imagery within yeule’s songwriting makes their music stand out against other cyber-core and alt-rock artists, with a balanced focus on songwriting and overall sonic aesthetics. On the note of sonic aesthetics, the screaming in the final chorus of this song complements the overdrive on the guitar beautifully. The song bookends itself with the acoustic guitar before abruptly cutting itself off.
My personal favourite of the singles released before the album is “Eko,” a song about obsession and envy. yeule’s signature electronic glitches and synth elements take centre stage as the artist describes an obsession that echoes in their head constantly. The vocal melody is nothing short of infectious and catchy, with the glitched-out hook in the chorus being simply perfect. Also, as an Australian, yeule’s accent is so familiar and their pronunciation of “echo” tickles my brain. While on the topic of yeule’s vocals, the vocal layering in this song adds to the uquine etherealness of the artist and their sound.
Following “Eko” is “1967.” Similar to “The Girl Who Sold Her Face,” the song starts with acoustic guitar and sound effects, this time with a camera sound effect. The EQing to make the vocals sound like they’re coming through a telephone adds to the electronic dystopian aesthetic of the album. Some backing vocals give the song a really nice texture against the glitching drum beat. Oversaturation on the vocals in the chorus give a subtle shift in energy without having to change the overall pace of the song. This album has an abundance of guitar solos, but the one in “1967” is easily the standout with its audio effects and addictive melody.
The pace of the album shifts back a little in “Vv” with a more boomy and live sound in the drums changing the emotional weight. Gloomy lyrics about death are switched with lyrics about commitment leading to haunting with lines such as “we will die side by side.” Still, the line “you treat me like something, and I don’t know how to feel” reminds the listener that there is always a small darkness in yeule’s songwriting. Breathlessness in the delivery of the artist’s vocals also adds to the more heavy and dragging sound as electronic keys come in during the last act. This return to the keys works well as a subtle callback to the more established sound of yeule.
This seems like a nice point to emphasise how well yeule is able to move between styles and genres whilst still creating a unique sound and aesthetic. Their well-developed mixture of 90s alt rock and cyber-core has created a world within their music that could easily fit into a sci-fi thriller film. yeule manages to complement this sound with lyrics detailing themes of the darker side of romance, love, and life. Being able to tether the loose strands that link these genres and lyrical motifs together is a talent that yeule has worked towards for years and this album feels like the emulation of all this work towards their craft.
“Dudu” will definitely be a favourite amongst fans. The drum machine in this song is fun and all the synth sounds bleed into one another easily. Coming off of “Vv,” this song has a more upbeat tone emphasised by the vocal doubling and layering. Adding the guitar to the chorus only further emphasises this excitement. Like “Eko,” the vocal hooks in the chorus of “Dudu” make the song stand out.
A different bass sound is apparent in “What3vr,” with an overall shift in the instrumentation from the rest of the album. Yet, rather than sounding out of place, song still sounds cohesive within the rest of the track list. Almost serving as the album’s interlude, “What3vr”‘s stressless tone and loose melody makes the song feel slightly more live-sounding compared to the rest of the album.
However, this live sound is soon replaced with “Saiko,” which takes heavy inspiration from the 90s. yeule’s title of “glitch princess” is set to 100% in “Saiko,” as the experimentation of sound between yeule and collaborator A. G. Cook gifts the listener with new styles of vocals and song structure. The vocals are used more as a texture in this song, with little to no focus on lyrics and rather on the shifting of energies. A more electronic and trap-like style leads to a “crash-out” in the bridge, which then seamlessly bleeds into the next song.
“Evangelic Girl is a Gun” is the title track, and it’s easy to see why. The more crowded sound of this one is perfectly built up from the last two songs and is the sonic epitome of the album overall. With a focus on an electronic sound, the song carries on from “Saiko” with its distorted vocals that complement the synths. A chaotic song, “Evangelic Girl is a Gun” makes callbacks to the other songs on the album with the line “picture perfect” pulled right from “The Girl Who Sold Her Face.” Finishing off the song is the frenzied bridge that tears apart the other sounds.
“Skullcrusher” closes off the album. This song seems to look back on the chaos of the album and the fall from grace within yeule’s world. Heavily chorused vocals make the lyrics almost indistinguishable, but they make the horror of the world feel much more confrontational. The final falling apart of amps and turning off of click tracks in “Skullcrusher” signal the end of Evangelic Girl is a Gun, an album that could feel experimental if it weren’t so precisely constructed by yeule. Each track feels like another viewpoint into a world that the artist has crafted over the years whilst still holding intrigue and mystery.
Evangelic Girl is a Gun is available to listen to now and set to be performed live this July in Europe with yeule’s headlining tour. Tickets are available here.
Crusher Tour 2025:
July 1 – Manchester, UK @ Academy 2
July 2 – London, UK @ O2 Forum
July 5- Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival
July 7 – Berlin, Germany @ Columbia Theatre
July 9 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
July 11 – Paris, France @ Le Trabendo
July 12 – Trencin, Slovakia @ Pohoda Festival
