Yeah Yeah Yeahs only make music when they have something to say. Nearly a decade separated
Cool It Down and
Mosquito, during which time
Karen O made two solo albums including 2019's
Lux Prima. She and
Brian Chase and
Nick Zinner were so established in their individual work (
Chase remained a fixture on the experimental jazz scene;
Zinner toured with, recorded, and produced artists ranging from
the Rentals to
Amen Dunes to
Phoebe Bridgers) that a reunion seemed uncertain. Luckily for fans, they did get back together, and their fifth album once again switches gears from the one before it.
Cool It Down owes less to
Mosquito's rock revivalism than it does to
Lux Prima's lush sonics and, maybe more importantly, its viewpoint. The light touch and generosity of spirit within
O's songwriting made itself known as early as
Fever to Tell's "Maps," but she refined it with her solo work and reintroduces it to the band with transporting results, balancing the experience of age and the wonder of youth in songs that teeter between reflection and elation. The band bookends
Cool It Down with songs about children's perspectives.
O has always written tenderly about and for children, and "Spitting Off the Edge of the World," a radiant yet heartbroken meditation on the ecologically broken world left to the next generation featuring
Perfume Genius, and "Mars," inspired by a sweetly imaginative moment with her son, are no exception. By contrast, the gorgeous, big-hearted pop of "Different Today" possesses the wisdom to acknowledge the past, accept the present, and look forward to the future even as the world "goes spinnin' out of control." Over the years,
O has also become a more accomplished and varied vocalist, and she brings more colors to her
Cool It Down performances than on
Yeah Yeah Yeahs' previous albums or even
Lux Prima. "Burning" is a driving showcase for all her skills; as the song builds into a soulful inferno, her wails and whispers are forces of nature, and her comparisons to meteors and the river Styx are completely apt. "Fleez," the record's brightly funky midpoint, pairs spoken-word verses that hark back to the early gem "Art Star" with a groove that's tautly danceable even if the band doesn't break a sweat. Songs such as this and "Wolf," a piece of shimmering electro-pop seduction where squiggly synths echo
O's vibrato, borrow some of
It's Blitz!'s chrome-plated sleekness and commanding beats and showcase
Dave Sitek's production.
Sitek often felt like
Yeah Yeah Yeahs' unofficial fourth member, and his chemistry with them remains strong on tracks like the lushly layered "Blacktop." For a band who seemed so impulsive at the outset,
Yeah Yeah Yeahs' reflection and deliberation has been a surprising strength that's only grown with time. They may never lose all their restlessness -- nor should they -- but it's undeniable that
Cool It Down is one of their most consistent albums. ~ Heather Phares