The Yummy Fur Everybody Talks About the Weather

The Yummy Fur | Everybody Talks About the Weather [Upset The Rhythm]

Art Punk / Post-Punk / Indie Rock | 2026

Twenty-eight years after their previous studio album "Sexy World", Glasgow's The Yummy Fur return with ten songs that retain their distinctive combination of abrasive guitar pop, eccentric lyricism and restless rhythmic invention. Released on September 25, 2026 through Upset The Rhythm, "Everybody Talks About the Weather" reunites singer and guitarist John McKeown with guitarist Brian MacDougall and drummer Paul Thomson. Across approximately 33 minutes, the band demonstrates remarkable control of its deliberately unconventional songwriting. The arrangements are tighter and the production clearer than much of their 1990s output, while McKeown's fascination with obscure cultural references remains central to the music. The result is a lively, frequently funny album that gradually reveals an unexpected emotional seriousness.

Opening track "Cogs" establishes the group's musical approach through clipped guitar phrases, insistent repetition and McKeown's characteristically nasal vocal delivery. The guitars alternate between rhythmic agreement and deliberate friction, while Thomson maintains a firm pulse beneath the shifting instrumental patterns. McKeown's lyrics examine internal conflict through fragmented observations and abrupt changes of emphasis. The song develops considerable tension without requiring an elaborate arrangement. That economical approach becomes increasingly effective on "Unity Over Europe", where an aggressive bass line and piercing guitar figures accompany a complicated narrative involving the Mitford sisters, fascist politics and references to Francis Bacon and Thomas Pynchon. The vocal delivery combines sarcasm with genuine hostility, giving the track an unsettling intensity. Its rhythmic persistence and sharp melodic repetitions make it one of the album's most forceful performances.

"Wanda" introduces a different kind of rhythmic movement. A steady programmed pulse supports interlocking guitar phrases, repeated vocal syllables and a melody that becomes increasingly expansive as the song progresses. Around its final minute, the arrangement develops a particularly appealing melodic lift. McKeown draws on Barbara Loden's 1970 film "Wanda", combining details from the filmmaker's biography with the fictional character's troubled circumstances. His clipped phrasing and deliberately peculiar pronunciation reinforce the fragmented narrative. The song's accessible melodic writing and persistent rhythmic momentum provide an effective counterbalance to its complicated subject matter. It is also a particularly convincing demonstration of the band's ability to combine experimental impulses with immediately memorable pop songwriting.

The middle section contains some of the record's most demanding writing. "Semolina Ballerina" combines a motorik drum pattern with circling guitar phrases and saxophone contributions, establishing a persistent rhythmic framework for lyrics inspired by Susan Sontag's essay "Against Interpretation". McKeown treats the difficulty of assigning fixed meaning to art with deliberate humor. The repeated instrumental figures are particularly effective because subtle changes in their interaction maintain momentum throughout the song. "Blue Sunshine" increases the guitar distortion and rhythmic aggression, accompanying references to Thomas Pynchon and the Columbine shootings with confrontational vocal phrasing. Meanwhile, "My Lasagne" moves through references to Picasso's "Guernica", Dora Maar and the cultural history surrounding their work. These songs demonstrate the breadth of McKeown's interests, although the density of his references occasionally makes the individual narratives difficult to follow. The musical arrangements generally provide sufficient rhythmic and melodic interest to sustain attention independently of the lyrics.

The title track, "Everybody Talks About the Weather", occupies a slower and more reflective position in the sequence. Its lyrical fragments revisit people and experiences associated with the band's earlier Glasgow years, including painter Mac McNaughton, who also created the album artwork. The measured pacing permits greater attention to the vocal performance, although the arrangement lacks some of the immediacy established by the surrounding tracks. "Headphones" restores the group's playful energy through brisk drumming, angular guitar pop and a particularly infectious vocal melody. McKeown turns mundane frustrations involving excessive audio compression, tinnitus and damaged headphones into a series of amusing observations. The track's compact structure and loose rhythmic character allow its melodic strengths to emerge immediately. Beneath the humor sits a recognizable concern with aging and the small physical indignities that accompany it. That combination gives the song an appealing emotional dimension without interfering with its direct pop pleasures.

The closing pair introduces a substantial change in emotional emphasis. "King of Nothing" is built around heavier guitar tones and a sluggish rhythmic movement, allowing McKeown to address personal frustration with unusual directness. References to Gena Rowlands, Shelley Duvall and Alice Munro connect the song's reflections on loss with the deaths of cultural figures who mattered to him. The instrumental weight reinforces the sense of exhaustion in his performance. "Say Hello" subsequently reduces the musical aggression through gentler guitar playing and a restrained arrangement. Its melody develops with considerable patience, while McKeown's vocal performance becomes increasingly open and affectionate. The song addresses the importance of asking for help and maintaining personal connections during difficult periods. Its sincerity is especially affecting after an album dominated by irony, unusual references and deliberately ambiguous narratives.

The production, recorded at The Workshop in Glasgow and mastered by Mikey Young, preserves the band's rough guitar character while providing greater separation between the instruments. Thomson's drumming contributes much of the album's rhythmic authority, and the interaction between bass and guitar frequently produces its most compelling passages. There are moments when the lyrical complexity becomes excessive, particularly across the densely referential middle tracks. The comparatively restrained title song also interrupts the record's momentum. Nevertheless, these reservations have limited impact on an album containing so many distinctive arrangements and memorable melodic ideas. The band's willingness to explore personal vulnerability gives the closing songs particular significance. "Everybody Talks About the Weather" is an accomplished return from musicians whose appetite for eccentric songwriting remains intact. Its strongest achievement is the convincing integration of the group's familiar nervous energy with an emotional openness that expands their musical identity.

Rating: [4/5]

https://upsettherhythm.bandcamp.com/album/everybody-talks-about-the-weather

https://theyummyfur.bandcamp.com/