ALBUM REVIEWJust two years after his breakthrough sophomore LP Weird!, English upstart Yungblud returned with his self-titled third set. Yungblud further pushes the young artist into an authentic space where his voice and vision are becoming even more seamlessly merged. With that growth, he balances the typical "sex, drugs, and rock & roll" fare with honest, stripped-down confessionals, wherein Yungblud reveals things like, "It's alright, mate/I cry too" ("I Cry 2"). While many of the tracks spiritually fit into the early-2020s pop-punk revivalist wave, digging deep into these songs reveals that the focus is actually squarely aimed at the "pop" side of that equation. Yungblud is fun, catchy, and very accessible, offering punk spirit without ever being truly dangerous or too explicit. Opening standouts "The Funeral" and "Tissues" are irresistible, dance-friendly bursts that sound like My Chemical Romance taking a turn at Billy Idol's "Dancing with Myself," while the urgent Willow collaboration "Memories" and the pogo'ing "Don't Go" come closest to the "pop-punk revival" tag. Bastille's Dan Smith shows up to help with the skittering indie rocker "Cruel Kids" and The Voice alum Carol Ades injects '80s goodness -- handclaps, synths, and all -- into the sneering "Sex Not Violence." That '80s vibe is present across many of these tracks, from the bopping "Mad" to "Don't Feel Like Feeling Sad Today" and "The Boy in the Black Dress," which loosely channel the Cure's dreamy guitar shimmer. His rebellious spirit and heart-on-the-sleeve honesty about sexuality and identity make Yungblud a potent combination that endears as much as it excites, which should help him connect to fellow disaffected youth (and those who remember that tender age of angst and confusion).
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Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo 
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