Yeah Yeah Yeahs ‘Mosquito’

Words by Brielle Cotelo

With ‘Sacrilege’, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs teased their fans to get them craving the April 16th release of the trio’s first LP since 2009’s It’s Blitz. The new track immediately engaged the attention of its listeners, and their subsequent jaw-dropping performance with the Broadway Inspirational Singers on Letterman made it quite clear – YYY have firmly planted their flag into 2013’s musical soil.

The indie rock band kicks off their fourth album, Mosquito by getting their energy high and hinting at what the rest of the album has in store. With further listening, fans are sure to be blown away.

While their sound has been compared to The White Stripes and The Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs prove their unique style all over Mosquito. Lead singer Karen O’s personalities run the gamut from mushy (‘you are the breath I breathe’) in ‘The Wedding Song’ to manic, made evident in the title track’s mantra, ‘I’ll suck your blood’.

YYY tends to slow down the rhythm sporadically throughout the album to give their audience a break from the very prominent and bold garage punk approaches that are seen in songs like ‘These Paths’ and ‘Mosquito’. However, each transition is all done tastefully, and the album then closes out with acoustic versions of ‘The Wedding Song’ and a tune about finding support in a friend, ‘Despair’.

Mosquito is the perfect album to get one pumped up for something and, uniquely enough, it also serves as a soundtrack to sit and relax or for a long drive. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ artistic approach towards their music is one that is not seen too often, and is sure to draw in all sorts of listeners, old and new.