I must admit I developed a certain regard for Yungblud (the non de plume of Dominic Harrison) when I came across his single ‘Lowlife’ with its gothic Dickensian overtones and a melody that stuck like superglue. The Noel Fielding of pop/rock has returned after a little hiatus with the blasting jolt of electricity that is ‘Hello Heaven, Hello’ which adds quite a bit of rock’n’roll spark to the spine with its muscular guitars and anthemic choruses – over nine minutes of undulating energy.
Indeed the new track signals a change of direction for Yungblud. He says of the track:
Rock music is in my DNA. It’s the first genre I was ever exposed to; I grew up in a guitar shop with my Dad and my Grandfather. Rock music helped me find an identity as a human being.
‘Hello Heaven, Hello’ is a journey of self-reclamation—a goodbye to the past and how you may have known or perceived me before, and a ‘hello’ to the future and where I’m going. It’s an adventure that is sonically more ambitious than ever before—a journey that is meant to be played in its entirety, never holding back or allowing its imagination to be filtered.
Far from being a pastiche of what indie rock is perceived to be by some pop wannabee, this is a visceral, vital track that is driven by the pounding percussion and soaring choruses that thumps with elements of The Who or The Cult-influenced heavy rock. And yet it is all grounded by a hint of what I enjoy about Yungblud – channelling an element of Ian Dury cheeky chappy theatricality and self-deprecating humour. Wild oscillating guitar solos, stabbing punches of music and a sound that ebbs and flows with passionate expression, this is a magnus opus that thunders for a remarkable nine minutes, taking us through a roller coaster of sounds and a kaleidoscope of sonic colours.
The themes seem to reflect this sonic journey – personal and resolute:
Since I was a little boy I devised a windmill get away
They’d kick me in the mud and they told me that that’s the price you pay
So tell me are you gonna die with the lies that they force inside your head
Or are you gonna live by the thorns in what you said
Little freak, gonna walk, they don’t talk till youve packed up and gone away
Little boy, stupid boy, what you after, each and every day?
For its the fool who’s the last to jump off the edge
One step, one step into heaven
But first you’ll go to hell and back
Yungblud describes an apotheosis in the creation of the track:
I felt like I was starting to repeat myself – I’d fallen into my own cliche… I’d become comfortable. It was good in a way; it meant that I had my own style. But I’ve always said that if people know where I’m going next, that is my idea of failure.
Releasing such an epic track was a conscious decision:
I’ve been discouraged from releasing a nine-minute and six second song as my first move back in a year because, in the modern world, it’s seen as a “risk.” I don’t see it that way at all—I see it as an opportunity. In my opinion, risk is an artist’s greatest tool—putting everything on the line in pursuit of the best evolution and art you can create. Without risk, there is no innovation.
The accompanying video by Charlie Sarsfield is breathtaking – starting off seemingly as an antidote to that famous viral Old Spice advert ‘I’m On A Horse’ with a bare chested Yungblud, an ominous dark horse and a frozen bleak landscape. Like the song itself, the video rapidly shifts, still in monochrome, to a thrilling performance piece before a return to the bleak landscapes with religious symbology: clearly reflecting Yungblud’s epic personal journey.
It’s over the top, excessive, indulgent and dramatic, but isn’t that what rock’n’roll is all about? Cathartic excess of the most delicious nature.
‘Hello Heaven, Hello’ is out now and you can download and stream here.
The release follows shortly after news that Bludfest, Yungblud’s own curated festival, will return to Milton Keynes’s National Bowl for its highly anticipated second year this summer. Yungblud will once again top a bill featuring some of music’s most exciting emerging established talent, offering fans a stellar lineup at an affordable price. Last year saw a crowd of 40,000 fans gather for the festival. Bludfest Year 2 takes place on 21st June, 2025.
Feature Photograph: Tom Pallant
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