Yumi Zouma - Truth Or Consequences (LP) - Green Coke Bottle Vinyl

I first heard Truth or Consequences drifting out of a small shop stereo while I flipped through a crate of imports. That light, glassy shimmer, Christie Simpson’s voice tracing an easy melody, and a rhythm section that never hurries but always lands right where it should. It felt like Yumi Zouma had distilled all the reasons people fall for soft-focus indie pop and then tucked them into something sleeker and more assured. The album is their third, and it landed on March 13, 2020 via Polyvinyl Records, a cruelly memorable date for obvious reasons. In a year that asked for comfort, this record offered it without turning mushy.

Yumi Zouma have always worked like a long-distance band, and you can hear the upside of that on these songs. The arrangements feel considered, not cluttered. Josh Burgess and Charlie Ryder layer guitars and keys so the chords glow rather than blaze, while Olivia Campion’s drumming gives everything a gentle pull, a dancer’s sense of time. Simpson sings like someone letting you in on a feeling she has already sorted through, which gives the choruses their soft punch. Nothing begs for attention, so everything draws you in.

“Cool For A Second” earns its status as a standout, the kind of track you end up playing three times in a row because the hook blooms a little more with each spin. The vocal line lifts at just the right moment, and the synths flicker like city lights after rain. “Right Track / Wrong Man” moves with a tighter pulse, a bit more tension in the bass and a lyric that parses misread signals with the band’s usual calm clarity. The album never goes searching for a banger, yet the payoffs are constant. A bridge will open a window, a guitar filigree will spin by and then be gone, and you realize how much thought lives under the smooth surface.

The polish suits them. Their first two full-lengths, Yoncalla and Willowbank, charmed with featherlight touch, but this one sharpens the focus. The melodies feel more durable, the structures more confident. Polyvinyl has a reputation for letting bands grow at their own pace, and this sounds like a group that trusts its instincts. Even the title has quiet flair. Truth or Consequences shares a name with the New Mexico town, and the songs sit with that duality, the push and pull of plainspoken honesty and the gentle fallout that follows.

Production-wise, the record keeps to the band’s less-is-more code. Vocals sit close, drums are dry and soft to the ear, and the synth patches favour tone over show. There is air in the mix, so when a chorus lifts, you feel the room widen. It is music that rewards volume on good speakers, yet it holds up on a kitchen radio at 7 a.m., which is a trick fewer albums pull off than you might think. It was reviewed by outlets like Pitchfork and The Guardian, which makes sense, because this is the kind of quietly addictive pop that critics and crate diggers file under keepers.

If you are hunting for Yumi Zouma vinyl, Truth or Consequences is the one I point people to first. The textures bloom on wax, the low end warms up, and the whole thing settles into a late afternoon mood that digital never quite nails. Polyvinyl did right by the packaging, and it turns up often in indie shops, so it is an easy recommendation if you want to buy Yumi Zouma records online or pick it up in person. I have even seen it in a Melbourne record store or two, so no worries if you are browsing vinyl records Australia and want a safe blind buy. Search for Truth or Consequences vinyl and you will likely stumble into a copy sooner than later.

What lingers is how humane it feels. No melodrama, no wasted gestures, just songs about weathered hearts and small decisions that stack up over time. That balance, tender yet clear-eyed, gives the album its staying power. A few years on, it still feels like a friend who shows up with flowers and practical advice. File it next to your other Yumi Zouma albums on vinyl, then let it spin through the evening. The hooks will find you, quietly, and they will stick.