Album Info
| Artist: | Yumi Zouma |
| Album: | Present Tense |
| Released: | Australia, 2022 |
Tracklist:
| A1 | Give It Hell | |
| A2 | Mona Lisa | |
| A3 | If I Had The Heart For Chasing | |
| A4 | Where The Light Used To Lay | |
| A5 | Razorblade | |
| B1 | In The Eyes Of Our Love | |
| B2 | Of Me And You | |
| B3 | Honestly, It's Fine | |
| B4 | Haunt | |
| B5 | Astral Projection |
Info About Buying Vinyl From Our Record Store
- We are a small independent record store located at 91 Plenty Rd, Preston in Melbourne, Australia (North of Northcote, between Thornbury & Reservoir)
- We buy and sell new and used vinyl records - if you have a collection you'd like to sell please click here.
- We ship Australia wide for a flat rate of $10 for standard shipping or $15 for express post.
- Free Shipping for orders $150 and over.
- You can also pick up your order in store, just select Local Pickup at the checkout.
- We also ship internationally - prices vary depending on weight and location.
- We ship vinyls in thick, rigid carboard mailers with a crushable zone on either side, and for extra safety we bubble wrap the records.
- In stock vinyl is usally shipped next business day, please check the availability field at the top of the product page to see whether the record is currently in stock or if it is available from the supplier as well as estimated shipping times.
- If you order an in stock item together with a pre order or back order (listed as available from supplier rather than in stock) then the order will be shipped together when all items arrive. If you would like the in stock items shipped first please place two separate orders or contact us to arrange shipping items separately.
- We are strongly committed to customer satisfaction. If you experience any problems with your order contact us so we can rectify the situation. If the record arrives damaged or doesn't arrive we will cover the cost of replacing or returning the record.
- If you change your mind you have 30 days to return your record but you must cover the cost of returning it to the store.
- You can contact our Melbourne record shop at (03) 9939 3807 or at info@funkyduckvinyl.com
- Happy Listening!
Description
Present Tense finds Yumi Zouma doing what they do best, but with a brighter, bolder outline. The New Zealand quartet sharpened their soft-focus dream pop across EPs and two albums, then hit a sweet spot on 2020’s Truth or Consequences. This follow-up, released in March 2022 on Polyvinyl, feels like the moment the haze clears just enough for the hooks to really bite. Christie Simpson’s voice sits close and confident, while Josh Burgess and Charlie Ryder braid chiming guitars with glossy synths, and Olivia Campion’s drums give the songs proper lift. It is still featherweight at times, but the songwriting lands with a surer hand.
You hear that step up straight away with Give It Hell, a low-key pep talk that blooms from a hushed verse into a chorus that quietly sticks. The charm here is restraint. Yumi Zouma never force the moment, they just nudge it forward, stacking small details that pay off when the chorus hits a second time and the drums push harder. Mona Lisa follows with one of their most unabashed pop turns. There is an easy sway in the rhythm and a melody that feels like a summer singalong you have known for years. Subtle strings colour the edges, and the band’s knack for clean, glassy textures is on full display.
In The Eyes Of Our Love is the record’s pulse-raiser, all running guitars and quick-step drums. It comes with a knowing wink to classic indie dance floors, the kind where you end up shouting the chorus at strangers. The song also kicked off a neat visual run, with filmmaker Alex Ross Perry directing a trilogy of videos that cast the band in a scrappy, martial arts mini-movie shot in Mexico. It is a playful counterpoint to the album’s poised production, and it underlines how this band can lean into drama without losing their cool.
Where The Light Used To Lay slows the pace and brings back that late-night Yumi Zouma ache, the kind that feels tailor-made for tram rides home through quiet streets. The band have always been good with the bittersweet stuff. Here, they leave plenty of space between the notes, letting Simpson’s voice carry the emotional weight while the arrangement glows around her. It is easy to imagine this as a sleeper favourite at shows, the crowd swaying as the guitars shimmer on.
Part of the record’s appeal is the story behind it. Yumi Zouma began as a cross-continental project, and they kept that file-trading habit through the pandemic, shaping songs while scattered between Aotearoa and the northern hemisphere. You can hear the polish that comes from careful layering, but you can also hear a band that have played rooms together. Campion’s crisp live feel and the way the bass underlines those choruses give Present Tense a sturdier backbone than their early work. It is still light on its feet, just more grounded.
Critics clocked the shift. Stereogum named Present Tense its Album of the Week, and a stack of reviews praised the stronger hooks and the warm production. Fans have rallied around Mona Lisa and In The Eyes Of Our Love, but the deep cuts do their bit too, rounding out a tracklist that never sags. There is no grand reinvention here, and that is the point. Yumi Zouma refine their world until it gleams.
If you collect Yumi Zouma vinyl, this one earns its shelf space. The album’s rounded low end and silvery top suit wax, and it is the kind of record you can put on in the late afternoon and leave spinning through dinner. Present Tense vinyl pops up regularly through Polyvinyl and at local shops, and it is an easy add if you like to buy Yumi Zouma records online. If you are digging through bins at a Melbourne record store, it is the sleeve you clock for its clean design, then take home because the songs go down smooth. It also sits nicely alongside other Yumi Zouma albums on vinyl, a tidy little run that charts the band’s move from soft blur to crisp pop glow.
For anyone browsing vinyl records Australia wide and wondering where to land with this band, start here. Present Tense is the moment the chemistry fully clicks, a set of tender, lightly euphoric songs you can live with. Play it once for the gloss, then again for the details that keep unfolding.
