The Yum Yum Tree – ‘Turn Down the Noise’ [Album Review]

After nearly two decades of silence, The Yum Yum Tree releases what some might call their comeback record, although, at a guess, the band is uninterested in the mythological aura that surrounds “comebacks.”

Turn Down the Noise isn’t an attempt to turn back time or strive for renewed relevance. Instead, it’s a record preoccupied with what happens after the dust settles—after choices have been made and become fixed, like concrete molds.

At its center is songwriter Andy Gish, whose songwriting favors restraint over catharsis, revolving around themes of regret, responsibility, and connection, often without any resolution.  The album delves into the idea of living with permanent outcomes – things that cannot be reversed.

That sensibility gives the album a quiet gravity.

Talking about the album, Gish says, “We create so much doubt in ourselves … by the time I got to the point where I thought, Yes, this is worth recording, a lot of work had gone into the songs.”

She adds, “I’m a very different person. I probably wouldn’t have written those songs in 2010; I wouldn’t have had the same perspective. It’s a lot harder to be vulnerable and introspective and put yourself in a place where you accept your own responsibility and still want something good for the other person.”

Entry points include “Follow You Anywhere,” which presents the concept of devotion as a question rather than a promise, while “My Corner” and “Porchlight” pair bright, alt-rock hooks with lyrics that feel troubled by what’s been left unsaid. The melodies feature heavy basslines, jangly guitars, and crisp percussion. Vaguely reminiscent of 4 Non Blondes because of Gish’s vocal inflections and manner of phrasing, “My Corner” hums with beguiling energy, while “Porchlight” rides chunkier guitars.

The Yum Yum Tree, photo by Brent Dey

The best tracks on the album are when the band pulls back. “Lion’s Heart” drifts through a dreamlike haze of Goo Goo Dolls-like, slowed-down harmonics, allowing Gish’s vocals to convey a delicious intimacy. “Weak at the Knees” is the album’s emotional center, a smoldering confession that not only feels accurate but is realistic. It builds patiently toward a statement of exhaustion that, for some reason, summons up suggestions of L7 – probably the gritty guitars and Gish’s visceral vocals.

Musically, Turn Down The Noise reveals flavors of ’90s alt-rock without tripping down memory lane to the point of becoming cloying. Strong, growling guitars, at times jangly, and cogent arrangements that leave space for the music to breathe a bit, demonstrate a mature finesse: when to let the music carry its own weight.

Turn Down the Noise is one of those albums that reminds listeners of Alanis Morissette and Liz Phair – superb songwriting with flair.

Turn Down the Noise Track Listing:

1. Turn Down the Noise
2. Shine
3. Follow You Anywhere
4. Weak at the Knees
5. My Corner
6. Pretty Dress
7. Porchlight
8. Operator
9. Lion’s Heart
10. What We Don’t Talk About

Run Time: 42:08
Release Date: April 10, 2026
Record Label: Independent