A Deeper Look Inward

Tune-Yards is the musical project of multi-instrumentalist Merrill Garbus from New England. The last album she put out was Nikki Nack in 2014. It was hailed as “easily Tune-Yards’ finest work” by NME and “possibly the catchiest record of the year” by New York Magazine. She has been releasing music since 2009. Her first album Bird-Brains was met with critical acclaim and the follow-up Whokill in 2011 was Village Voice’s critics’ favorite of the year. She has supported bands like Arcade Fire, The National and Death Cab for Cutie on tours and has made multiple festival appearances. 

On I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life, Garbus teams up with bassist and co-producer Nate Brenner to bring her vibrant, genre-bending sound to life. She was writing the album before and after the 2016 presidential election and wanted to make a statement about the kind of crazy, anxious feelings surrounding politics these days. Garbus also creates some discussion on cultural appropriation on the song “Colonizer.” She said, “I am inspired by black music, whether it’s from Africa, America or the diaspora. This time I wanted to dig deeper into that.” The title of the album refers to the ways things like internalized racism can present itself in daily life. Take the track “Look at Your Hands” for example, which finds Garbus looking inward and examining the “-isms” affecting her life. She has said, “It feels really important to disengage enough… to get kind of in that meditation of ‘How are these things sitting with me?’”

The production this album is a wild mix of rhythms and sounds. Brenner’s intricate basslines inject every song with a frantic energy. The pair used an MPC, a sort of beat pad, for the first time which gave them a new way to incorporate samples in the songs. The tracks cover a breadth of genres such as pop, hip-hop, soul, ‘80s house, folk, rock and African and Caribbean music. Garbus was also inspired by her recent foray into DJing and it’s evident with the four-on-the-floor drum beats and vocal chops and loops. 

The bouncy, energetic first track “Heart Attack” combines complex percussion and Garbus’s soulful vocals. Unexpected but emotionally releasing is the dramatic string interlude where she chants “I’m only human.” The track challenges the idea that we are moving backward as a world in these tumultuous times. Garbus explains that “All the divisions were already there…They’ve just been revealed.” 

On “Coast to Coast” Garbus impresses with her acrobatic vocals. She tackles the challenging melodies with agility and power. It’s slower in tempo than most of the tracks on the album, allowing it to ride with a brooding feeling. The track imagines a future where rising seas swallow New York. 

Elsewhere on the album, “ABC 123” has a danceable, club-friendly rhythm and dazzles with sparkling synths. “Hammer” uses tribal percussion and multiple layers of vocal chants to create an African inspired jam.

Tune-Yards have put together an album that not only challenges the listener with its complex arrangements and styles but also lyrically with its commentary on personal accountability with the issues of today.