The new Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Tourist, is a continuation of great psychedelic indie, with some awesome alternative rock instrumentation and their trademark energy. It starts strong and vibrant with the emotional and very modern sounding “Pilot” and ”The Tourist”. The latter is super-political and raw. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are unique in a way for two reasons, because they clearly make no apologies for their style, and they are nothing if not introspective.
However, on this release their emotion is overwhelmingly the theme. Their sound is in bold print here, and this is a very post-punk thing, but it works well even in the more modern tracks. There is some relaxation here as well, like “Unfolding Above Celibate Moon (Los Angeles Nursery Rhyme)” and “Ambulance Chaser”.
“Better Off” has some ‘90s vibe in it, for the better, as it’s very radio friendly, and while they sound very familiar here, the next number, “Fireproof” is very different and kind of balances an energetic romp through the release with a nightlife theme. “The Vanity of Trying” is almost a repeat of previous songs, but the lyrics are good and introspective. “Loose Ends” is the next solid track, and maybe the best guitar work.
“Visiting Hours”, which rounds out the release, is a fitting end to The Tourist, and while it does not quite play off the inspiration in “The Tourist” or “Better Off”, what it does is exactly what it needs, giving a classic rock like slow jam to listen to while you wind down. The Tourist might not shock fans, but it benefits from good guitar and some well placed politics and positivity for a strong record for any band.
