THE ASYMPTOTICAL WORLD
Yves Tumor
The Big Issue Australia
Issue #64216 August 2021
By Olivia J. Bennett
American experimentalist Yves Tumor's surprise six-song release The Asymptotical World certainly embodies its title. The EP sees the artist marry Heaven to a Tortured Mind's (2020) psychedelic glam rock with Safe in the Hands of Love's (2018) dark ambience, creating a murky mix of post-punk, avant-pop and grunge rock. Whether it's pining over an old flame in ‘Jackie' ("These days have been tragic/I ain't sleeping/Refuse to eat a thing") or the self-defeating egoism of 'Katrina' ("So what's the point?/Why bother?/I have shit memory too"), this album - thanks to the life-altering events of 2020 - plummets to an all-too-familiar feeling of despondency. The EP swings between hope and nostalgia, best revealed in the cheery carelessness of 'Crushed Velvet’ (“Grew up selfless/So I could make it to heaven/I feel my best when/'m dressed in all crushed velvet"). The Asymptotical World sees Tumor stepping further towards music's edge.