Sexual salvation through synth-pop
Palo Santo, the second album from UK electro-pop trio Years & Years proves the band can produce sparkling pop bangers. Frontman Olly Alexander makes his move to the forefront, assuming his position as the queer pop icon we deserve. The lyrics deal with petty feelings towards exes, closeted lovers and frank explorations of the intricacies of gay love all placed over beautiful synth productions. The album is chock full of huge dance hits sure to find major play in clubs and teeny-bopper retail stores.
Much like their debut album Communion, Palo Santo is laced with religious imagery. The album opens with “Sanctify,” a song that sounds like throwback Justin Timberlake with a hint of Britney’s “Slave For U.” This song deals with having an experience with someone who is less than completely out of the closet. Alexander playfully sings, “You don’t have to be straight with me” and references the position of being one to bring out this kind of sin in someone (“Father forgive me for finding the truth.”) The next track, “Hallelujah,” is a surefire dance floor hit and covers the emotional discomfort of having an experience with someone that doesn’t last, but the refreshing power of dancing through the complicated feelings. In “Karma,” he references a different kind of male relationship, his strained relationship with his father. The pre-chorus, “Daddy said I could never win” is countered with Alexander’s declaration that he’s “tired of erasing [his] history.”
“Hypnotized” is the album’s first move away from dance songs into more stark, but still electronic, sounds. In this track, Alexander opens himself up a bit to fully experience his relationship, begging his lover to “surround [his] body and soul.” Later, “Rendezvous” gives us a hint of a dance hall beat but still stays solidly in the genre of dance synth pop. “If You’re Over Me” is a breakup jam disguised by lighthearted commercial music. He’s been through a lot back and forth in the dissolution of his relationship, but he’s finally ready to separate for good. On “Preacher,” he beckons for someone to succumb to a taboo temptation, to ignore “what [their] father might think” and give in to their urges. It’s another song brimming with religious imagery, both referring to the man as “preacher,” Alexander offering to be his “salvation” and a strong Adam and Eve reference with the line “my temptation…take a bite.”
“Lucky Escape” is a deliciously petty breakup song. Alexander gives a full rundown of his grievances with a past relationship and tops it off by proclaiming that he ultimately “dodged a bullet” by getting out of the relationship. He uses the song to try to provoke a confrontation with his ex to explode their issues for full closure. Next we get the title track, “Palo Santo,” which explores the complexities of modern love, with Alexander playing the position of sinful side-piece. He naughtily inquires, “Do I look good in this position, just like him?”
Palo Santo is an album primed for success. The blossoming talent of frontman Olly Alexander combines beautifully with trendy synth-based production. It’s also an album for this cultural time, and the candid exploration of queer themes in the lyrics is sure to be embraced by a pop demographic hungry for real representation. While it could have benefited from more experimentation in its musical arrangements, the album is a great sophomore effort from the young band.
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