Yes Daddy – DUMB BLONDE
Yes Daddy – DUMB BLONDE – Album Review
I probably would have finished this review faster if I wasn’t so damn good at following orders.
“I want HANDS inside pants,” yelled Yes Daddy on his opening track, and I was all too happy to oblige.
For real…there’s a damn good chance this guy has got one of the most oddly addictive cuts you’re gonna hear this year right at the start of his brand-new album DUMB BLONDE – “HANDS” is a fucking riot, and I am indeed, here for it. It’s like the perfect storm of awesomeness really…the irresistible synth vibe is genuinely stellar & there’s no doubt about that – but it’s definitely the way that it’s been used to Yes Daddy’s advantage too. The man knows where the energy is, and he clearly knows how to stand out in a crowd…both of these things should have him surging straight up to the tops of charts and playlists this year. Does “HANDS” make lyrical sense? Maybe half the time. Does that matter? Hell no! The people out there wanna hear personality and an artist that is into what they do – that’s what matters most, and Yes Daddy is clearly ready to supply. Not that it’ll matter too much or make the difference for anyone that somehow ended up on the fence, but listen to what’s underneath that LARGE ASS synth hook and you’ll appreciate how there’s a whole lot more detail in “HANDS” than you likely even realized. This is heckin’ perfection if you ask me though – I’ve had this song in my head for over a week now, even in the few spare moments where I haven’t been listening to it, and I’ll probably never forget seeing the video…
You’re welcome! You see and hear what I’m saying? It’d be super hard to say no to Yes Daddy, and I ain’t feeling all that inclined to try based on my experience. I heard “HANDS” and was like, sign me the fuck on UP for MORE of whatever THAT was! I’ll put it to ya this way…I’ve been doin’ this shit I do for so very long at this point now that I’m well aware of the fact that it’s gonna be next to impossible to find a track that’ll be quite as killer as that opening track was in the space of one record. That’s just the objective reality…it has nothing to do with not having faith in Yes Daddy – clearly this dude has got the X-factor and he’ll go on to create a ton of awesomeness & musical chaos throughout the course of his career. Dude’s a born disruptor, and I dig that. So believe me, I take things with a grain of salt in that regard – “FLATLINE” is a really damn good tune, and on most albums, it could very well go on to be the number one cut! It ain’t my fault that Yes Daddy wrote “HANDS” – that’s on him, not me – and that first track/impression is gonna soak up a lot of the attention as he makes his way to the top in 2024. That being said, “FLATLINE” is deserving of single-worthy status too, even if it’s not “HANDS.” Hell, there’s a part of me that even feels like this second cut could potentially hold up longer over time and the future to follow…at least for some of us. Yes Daddy makes it clear the man knows his way around a hook and has no problem at all creating music that demands your attention – “FLATLINE” is killer when it comes right down to it, and as far as I can tell, was released as the second cut to entice us into DUMB BLONDE.
Honestly, I think the most surprising thing about Yes Daddy to this point was reading his bio online. It’s so…normal? You really gonna drop that video for “HANDS” and come out swinging like this year’s Marc Rebillet, only to end up sounding like half the industry on paper? Take it from a writer my friend – it’s a damn good thing that people don’t really read anymore! Anyhow. “Bleach Blonde” is the first track you’ll hear on this album that is beyond the singles released in advance, and chances are, you’ll feel like this track could just as easily go on to become one too. “Girl – go and call your mom. Say you’ve found a real one. Found a real bleach blonde.” I think we could probably go back and forth about what any of us think about the lyrics etc., some will love what he comes up with, others might struggle a bit with his modern-day vibe – but I’d argue down to the mat that Yes Daddy flashes real moments of brilliance in basically every cut you’ll listen to. Whether he’s being completely serious or doin’ it in character, I don’t know…I just know what sounds good, and every time I get to the main hook of “Bleach Blonde,” I pretty much marvel at the fact he’s nailed it as tightly as he has. Even the verses of this track…listen to the way he’s got everything structured and metered…Yes Daddy really can’t hide what a professional he really is.
Does he NEED the HUGE SYNTH sounds to generate your excitement? No – probably not – but it definitely doesn’t fucking hurt either y’all! A sick beat clearly works to his advantage, and you’ll find another at work on “Why Is It So Dark In Hollister?” What impressed me beyond the vibe overall, was that this is clearly a four-for-four situation in terms of single-worthy sounds you’ll find on DUMB BLONDE. It’s a tough-ass pace to keep up with creatively, but right now, if you were to ask me, I’d tell ya that Yes Daddy is one of the artists you could bank on having a massive breakout year. Everything you’ll find on this record to this point is designed to take the party straight to the next level, and even though logically most albums couldn’t possibly sustain the rate of success he’s packed into the first half of this one, let’s be real here – he ain’t showing us any signs of slowing down either! “Why Is It So Dark In Hollister?” has Yes Daddy doin’ his thang in a way that shows us why he’s the right one to do it, you feel me? Listen to that hook take this track to the next level as you tick past that first minute will ya? Then go back and listen again, and realize that you were already hooked on this cut long before that moment. Is it my favorite of the first four? Hell no! It’s a pretty distant fourth actually, but “Why Is It So Dark In Hollister?” is still better, or at least more entertaining, than anything I’d be listening to by anyone else!
Where that first moment of hesitation on the listening side of the speakers will occur, or that first spot where you’ll feel like it’s time to head to the bar and get a drink, will likely be when “Model Walk” comes on. Don’t get it twisted and don’t get me wrong – it’s still a good tune – it’s just not nearly as bulletproof as any of the first four are in terms of energy and design. Performance-wise, and even ideas-wise, I still feel like Yes Daddy is on completely solid ground…and I suspect that even though “Model Walk” isn’t gonna be the song that blows you away on that first spin, it’ll grow on you quite a bit as you continue to spin the record over time. As I’ve been tellin’ ya from the drop here in this review, Yes Daddy has the art of the hook on-lock y’all – and that fully remains to be true on “Model Walk” too. It’s simply a different scenario to examine this track in terms of its balance of strengths is all. You’ll listen to the verses and think they’re alright, because they are – but the chorus will very likely pull you right onboard, and you’ll love “Model Walk” as a result of how strong that moment IS in this particular song. I dig the stylistically slick way the verses work and I can hear how it’s cohesive with the idea and concept he’s working with – I just know what ears respond to as well. “Model Walk” will take a couple of spins to convince listeners of belonging to this lineup of songs, but I’m confident they’ll get there.
Exploring sexuality and drugs continues to be the main inspiration behind the tracks you’ll hear in the set-list of DUMB BLONDE. “Bummer Enterlewd” is a clever title – I dig that. To be truthful, there’s a solid chance this ‘enterlewd’ will make more of an impact on ya than most ‘interludes’ are typically designed to. I mean, let’s be real here…it’s like, what, twenty-seconds shorter than the length of the album’s most arguably addictive track in “HANDS?” The opening track is pretty much ‘interlude’ length y’all…so if you were cool with jamming that on repeat, you shouldn’t object all that much to a cut like “Bummer Enterlewd” for how short it is at less than two-minutes long. Its still got a beat, still got a solid hook, still got that stylistic vibe you know and love Yes Daddy for…I ain’t gonna be the guy to come out here and tell ya that “Bummer Enterlewd” is gonna be your number one favorite, but it holds its own.
Drawing an audible line in the sand as he kicks things into overdrive with a huge dose of energy and vocal effects, “White Girl Pop” seems to right the course that DUMB BLONDE was heading towards, delivering a wildly addictive cut that hits the mark bang-on. This track is essentially ALL hook if you ask me…so maybe I’m a white girl after all – who knew? For real though…think of it this way – not all hooks come in the form of what we typically associate the word with. Yes, for the most part, it’s all about a tangible cleverness found in the writing of a vocal melody, or a musical one – which for the record, Yes Daddy has working in his favor on “White Girl Pop” – but it can (and does in this case) go beyond that. The real art of a hook, in every definition, comes down to a moment’s ability to grab our attention – and there are plenty of ways you can do that in addition to the ones I’ve outlined. Think variation in texture and tone…that kind of stuff…things that STAND OUT for one reason or another – that’s the level of smarts you’re dealing with on “White Girl Pop” – it practically plays in 3D y’all! When we talk about cuts that leap outta your speakers, this is the kind of song we should be talking about, and it should certainly be listed amongst the best you’ll find on DUMB BLONDE – Yes Daddy is thriving harder than ever here. And you know something? For myself personally, I’d say this track has the strength to rival “HANDS.” I really wasn’t sure we’d find something quite as addictive as that opening cut was when I first started listening to this album and I’m happy to have been proven wrong about that. You wanna know another secret? I think that Yes Daddy has at least one or two other cuts before the end that hit that mark too.
“Take Me To Your House” would be a solid example of a well-executed cut that probably doesn’t speak to me as strongly as it could potentially resonate with you. I reserve the right to change my mind on this one…I do feel like there’s a possibility that it could grow on me a little over time and experience in listening to this record, and again to be fair, I feel like Yes Daddy has done everything right to ensure this track has a solid chance to getting the attention the effort to make something this smooth deserves. We dip into a more late-80s type of vibe when we’re talkin’ about the sound of the music itself, combined with the modern-day variable-vibe in the vocal department that Yes Daddy does so well. So on the one hand, I feel like there’s a little bit that I’ve lived through here already, because I’m older than dirt now and I was raised in the 80s…and on the other hand, it skirts right on over what I listen to in the present day. Is that Yes Daddy’s fault? Fuck no! Like I said, he’s done everything right here, and I’d fully expect a whole lot of people out there to dig on what he’s created with “Take Me To Your House” – I mean, hell, I’d still be willing to vouch for this being another single-worthy cut on the record to be truthful with ya. How’s that for objectivity? I’m old, but not so old that I can’t recognize what’s relevant. While “Take Me To Your House” might be less for me, it’ll be more for someone else, you feel me? Which is natural – that SHOULD happen in the context of any album – we all have our favorites! It’s the chilling effect of independent journalism that pretends it needs to like or love everything in an effort to get clicks through insincerity. People always know where I stand on whatever I’m listening to – that’s why we’ve been around for more than a decade now. Like it or not, I keeps it real with ya. “Take Me To Your House” is a decent tune without question, it’s just not as much my thing personally is all. If you wanna have a discussion about whether or not it fits into this particular lineup of songs on DUMB BLONDE, I’m open to having that conversation…I feel like a case could be made both for and against it. The bottom line for me is, I don’t give a rat’s ass about my own opinion or how I really feel about any given song if I’m being honest with ya – all that matters to me is that YOU put everything into what you do. I can hear that the effort is being put in by Yes Daddy here, and execution-wise, he never drops the ball.
Peaks and valleys y’all…any reviewer or critic tellin’ ya how music really moves them will reveal those moments…and anything else, whether it’s all positive or all negative, would likely just be bullshit. For myself personally, I felt like “Cut UP” was the track that Yes Daddy has been searching for in making tracks like “Model Walk,” “Bummer Enterlewd” or “Take Me To Your House” – it’s “Cut UP” that has the right mix of sincerity and entertainment, in my opinion. Does “Cut UP” have the same level of single-worthy potential that so much of this lineup has revealed? How about this…I ain’t saying that it doesn’t. It could…I think there’s a whole lot of universal appeal here, and I definitely feel like that stems from the grounded performance that Yes Daddy puts in through his vocals. The music alongside it is practically genius-level stuff when you examine its DNA up close, and he’s also written another exceptional hook that is brilliant too – “I wanna be the one you hang up on” is a great line, straight up, full stop. To me, it’s tracks like “Cut UP” that expose the professionalism, songwriting smarts, high-level of execution, and uncanny understanding of what makes music connects that makes Yes Daddy as interesting of an artist as he is. This dude has ridiculous potential when it comes right down to it, and it’s actually low-key tracks like “Cut UP” that prove that to us best. A hard-driving beat like you’d find in “HANDS” or “White Girl Pop” is gonna catch our attention every time for a plethora of reasons we practically can’t even help on a biological level – but it’s songs like “Cut UP” that earn our attention through sincere interest in what we hear & how it connects to us on an emotional level. Big thumbs up from me for this track here.
I feel just about the same towards “Puppy Love V2” as well…arguably, even stronger I’d say…at least on a personal level. I’d reckon that “Cut UP” has more of a universal vibe to it I suppose…but if we’re talking about what appeals to me specifically, I’m pretty confident that I’d side with “Puppy Love V2” as the stronger of the two tracks at the end of the day. Yes Daddy does the whole loaded-up, faded vibes and vocal-effects combo really damn well…it’s tracks like “Puppy Love V2” that reveal how freakishly irresistible that Indie/Emo sound he’s creating can be. He’s got a true knack for knowing what kind of material to work with on a musical level, and like I’ve been tellin’ ya from the start, he’s knows how to create a hook like the best in the business, truly. Listen to the transition he makes around the forty-five second mark in “Puppy Love V2” and you’ll know exactly what I’ve been trying to explain…what occurs in that spot right there is special beyond words…it’s a gift for knowing how to turn something good into something great without being predictable or retreading what so many others have done. Dude’s uniqueness will carry him a long way – there’s no doubt about that – but it’s Yes Daddy’s cleverness in his craft that will keep him on playlists for years to come. I’ll admit…I see a video like “HANDS” and even I wonder if I’m possibly being sucked right into a viral sensation that’ll be here now and gone tomorrow – but it’s tracks like “Puppy Love V2” that confirm to my ears that this guy will be around for a very, very long time. He’s clearly got that magic that the rest don’t have, and the more time & experience plays a role, the further he’ll go. I wouldn’t change a single thing about “Puppy Love V2” – there’s no V3 needed – this is flawlessly perfect.
Awesome to hear the versatility in Yes Daddy work out so damn well. Like I’ve been saying, regardless of any of our personal opinions on this track or that track, the bottom line is that he’s put himself in the right position to have any of these songs resonate with you in a variety of ways through the efforts that he’s put in. I’m not hearing any details overlooked, which really leaves the rest to personal opinions about this or that and nothing more – he’s put in the kind of work that should have critics shutting up their face when it comes to anything to do with the production or performances you’ll find on DUMB BLONDE. That’s all you can ever hope for as an artist or band makin’ music…everything else is merely at the mercy of the court of public opinion, and like Carlin said years ago, “the public sucks” anyhow. I’m beyond impressed with the way that Yes Daddy rolls to the ending of this album with the final three cuts – DUMB BLONDE really finds a conclusive ending, and once you reach “WYA,” you’ll know you’re at the finish line. Designed to be that track that gets everybody singing along, you can hear what a significant moment “WYA” could go on to be when played live from the stage…you get everything going strong, then you take away that killer beat and just let the people sing along…it’d be something to remember, I’m tellin’ ya. For as many layers of effects that we’ve heard his vocals entrenched within, you get one of your clearest glimpses of his natural sound on “WYA” and it should definitely be noted that this dude has a genuinely great voice – Yes Daddy can certainly sing, and yes, Yes Daddy can certainly entertain. He finishes this album off on a more upbeat Pop-inspired vibe, even while the lyrics carry that signature level of confusion and emotional turmoil…”WYA” sounds more hopeful than perhaps it actually IS, but there’s zero question about it being the right track to end this record. After a healthy listen to DUMB BLONDE throughout the course of this past week or so, I’m more than convinced that Yes Daddy knows exactly what he’s doing. This whole album makes an impact in an impressive variety of ways, and it’s an effort he should be proud of. Yes Daddy is dynamic, charismatic, and guaranteed to keep you listening.
Find out more about Yes Daddy from the official pages below!
Main Site: https://www.whotfisyesdaddy.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theycallmeyesdaddy
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/6jakobs6weird6
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5IOhDr7cPvKlZ9VZcU8vHh
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/yes-daddy/1396559532
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