Gabriele Luchetti
Yves Tumor is a post-punk anti-hero and madman who can revolutionize the mainstream listening community.
The mysterious post-punk icon Yves Tumor is going mainstream in 2024. In addition to that, he is also doing it by representing post-punk. A genre that consists of elements from the 70’s punk and new avant-garde features.
So, how did Yves Tumor gain his success in the mainstream market?
Yves Tumor’s character: the otherworldly trip of an obscure soul
Almost nothing is known about Yves Tumor’s personal life. We know of vague particulars, such as his possible residence in Turin, Italy, or going by his unconfirmed name Sean Bowie.
Thanks to his 2020 album Heaven to a Tortured Mind, and 2023’s Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds), Yves Tumor is making his name known to a global audience.
A trip between heaven and hell
His sonorities can space from psychedelic rock to rap to ambience music, paired with his gothic and mysterious figure. His latest album takes the duality between otherworldly worlds as one of the main topics.
Indeed, the scenario which he tries to put across with his lyrics, infernal appearance, and overall vibe, can be seen as an infinite trip between heaven and hell, or salvation and drowning. Evocative if you ask us.
He has a wide range of collaborators which style, make-up, and direct him artistically-speaking. The final product – in our opinion – is amazing. In short, he is making post-punk mainstream in 2024.
Post-punk: birth, evolution & decline. Which genre does Yves Tumor refer to?
Post-Punk was born at the end of the 70’s, when famous groups like Joy Division and the Throbbing Gristle were experimenting with various musical styles and instruments.
While Joy Division were having their fame, the Throbbing Gristle – as loads of other unknown and forgotten bands – were super niche, making the post-punk concept decline after a short period of time. Yves Tumor actually cites the Throbbing Gristle as one of his main inspirations in implementing his sound and his character.
Post-punk reborn
Today, Yves Tumor is taking things to another level, with millions of streams on all the major digital platforms. Post-punk seems to be reborn thanks to him.
Another aspect of his extraordinary impact on music is his popularity in a music genre that has not been heavily influenced by black performers.
We recognize all-time greats in other genres, such as Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, or Carl Cox to name a few, but I dare you to think about famous Afro-American artists in a genre like post-punk which had luck in promoting their music and their abilities. Yves Tumor is a revolutionary and unique, in that sense.
Yves Tumor’s greatest hits: Why he is representative of post-punk
To see how much Yves Tumor represents post-punk, you can easily recognize the different influences from other genres by listening to these songs.
Merging alt-rock & gospel music
The first one that we wanted to present you is called “Gospel for a New Century,” in which the alternative-rock and gospel music (via the use of rhythmic patterns and brass ensembles) merge to create an intriguing and fresh tune. And an epic bassline as well.
Anguished dark rockstar
Next it is “God is a Circle”. Produced by Noah Goldstein, a well-known personality in the industry (who produced also for Frank Ocean and Kanye West), the track embodies dark samples and anguish lyrics with the drum line that makes you want to completely smash up your hotel room. And visuals are crazy as always.
The “Evergreenness” of ambience music
Last, but surely not least, his most streamed song (28 million streams on Spotify), completely detached from the recent music he uses to make. “Limerence”, a 5-minute noise music instrumental released in 2017, will make you understand how much of a versatile artist he really is.
What will the future of Yves Tumor look like?
Without even talking about the other types of influences like hip-hop in “Purified by the fire”, we cannot even imagine how his future drops will sound like.
In the meanwhile, have a listen to Yves Tumor’s newest album: Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds). It is a breath of fresh air for the music industry and may stimulate mainstream listeners to approach post-punk again.
