Read previous – SASAMI @ PhilaMOCA
Singaporean songwriter, producer, and singer yeule performed at Union Transfer in Philly on Saturday, October 14th in support of their latest LP softscars, along with opener SASAMI. Compared to their breakout sophomore LP Glitch Princess, yeule’s brand of glitchy dream pop on softscars is more immediate and accessible with its ’90s indie/alternative rock influence and is akin to a beabadoobee meets Art Angels-era Grimes mashup. The album runs the gamut from bedroom pop to guitar-driven indie electro bangers – in what’s been an exceptional year for new music releases, softscars is on our shortlist for album of the year.
With the lights turned down low, yeule opened their set with a solo acoustic performance of Glitch Princess track “Don’t Be So Hard on Your Own Beauty“, before being joined on stage by bandmates (including SASAMI on guitar). The early part of their set was quiet yet cinematic, as they performed “bloodbunny” and Glitch Princess track “Electric“. They launched into more upbeat tracks like “4ui12” and “cyber meat” then continued through most of softscars. The crowd came alive during the climax of their set when they performed the fiery “x w x” – their fuzzed out guitars sounded glorious as yeule let out a guttural yell during the song’s conclusion. They kept up the energy with the Pixies-esque track “dazies“, before meowing out and closing their set with “aphex twin flame“. They returned to the stage with an encore of “Bites on My Neck” (from Glitch Princess) and the crowd erupted, as yeule floated around the stage like a graceful club fairy – a loan crowd surfer even managed to make it across the barricade.
Yeule is currently wrapping up their North American and will be heading across the pond for some dates in the EU/UK to close out the year. See all of their upcoming tour dates here. Check out the music video for “dazies” below and keep scrolling to see more photos from the show.
