James are undeniably veterans of the Manchester music scene. This year, they make their return with studio album Yummy to continue an extensive career which has earned them four UK top ten singles and built them a devoted, perpetually engaged following. Yummy opens with the infectious, resplendent ‘Is This Love’, a quintessential James track contemplating the complexity of human relationships and starting the album as it means to go on: substantially less political than their previous effort All the Colours of You, yet equally as multifaceted and reflective thematically.
On ‘Life is a Fucking Miracle’, the band’s frontman Tim Booth opens with the line “I’m another dumb fish in another dumb bowl.” This is hardly the band’s best lyricism, but functions to enunciate the dull monotony of daily life which the track’s first verse explores. Reaching a climactic, escapist chorus, the song urges its listeners to “raise your glass” and celebrate pure human existence, revelling in the very mundanity depicted in the first verse. In a way, this is very typical of the Manchester band who are renowned for their sharp focus on minor details of the regular everyday.
Before its explosion, ‘Life is a Fucking Miracle’ begins with an ambient, dance-style beat, which is surprising coming from a band such as James, but only serves to reflect their continuous diversity as they never shy away from experimentation, dipping their toes in every “dumb bowl,” so to say. This diversity was similarly exhibited through 2023’s compilation Be Opened By The Wonderful, for which the band re-worked classic hits, deep cuts and fan favourites with the involvement of the Orca22 Orchestra and Manchester Inspirational Voices choir.
‘Stay’ is certainly a highlight of the record, being reminiscent of early hits such as ‘Sometimes’, yet incorporating a modern twist courtesy of synth-pop sonic influences which perfectly complement Saul Davies’ mellow rhythm guitar and David Baynton-Power’s ever-building drums. This track demonstrates the band’s impressive ability to develop themselves in line with not only current affairs and trepidations but current music too.
Following ‘Stay’ is the album’s six-minute centrepiece ‘Shadow of a Giant’, a track which slowly builds momentum before fading in a way which is not anti-climactic, but strikingly beautiful. The band’s use of strings here is a reminder of the splendour and magnificence of Be Opened By The Wonderful, yet the grandeur this provides does not dissipate even as the song reaches its invigorating heights. While Booth laments living “all my life, in the shadow of a giant,” the song is sprawling, jaunty and seems to take pleasure in becoming a “drifter, day in day out.”
James have always pondered and cynically referenced religion: 2014’s ‘Curse Curse’ racily details how “God’s name’s proclaimed, the end is on its way” in what is arguably a continuation of 1993’s smash-hit ‘Laid’ from a different perspective. On ‘Mobile God’, however, the band subvert this and use ideas of religion not to depict a sexual scene, but to denigrate the ever-growing problem of smartphone addiction from the perspective of the smartphone itself. This serves to once again emphasise the Manchester band’s endless creativity, taking modern concerns to turn them on their heads and upside down.
The band briefly continue this observational approach with ‘Our World’, which is easily the most politically charged of the album, seeing Booth discuss the dangers of ignorance towards the past, the threat of climate change and the greed of businessmen and politicians. This may even be the ‘Many Faces’ of Yummy: the line “our world isn’t your world” is intended to highlight social disparities and divisions, but may well inspire similar cathartic chants at live shows.
‘Rogue’ marks a shift towards personal contemplation as opposed to social commentary, as Booth grapples with growing old and moving on from “all these lives.” “I’ve been a whore, a samurai, a guru, burnt as a witch” the singer muses, referencing his experience with past life regression therapy but also reminiscing on his band’s legacy in a way which is not tastelessly nostalgic, but aptly reflective, evocative and sentimental for someone with such an extensive career in music.
Following ‘Hey’, Yummy seems to lose a portion of its earlier momentum. Though it is backed by metaphor and meaning, sustaining the contemplation which defines the record, ‘Butterfly’ marks a notable deceleration in pace, energy and stimulation. ‘Folks’, a track which similarly lacks impetus, opens with an off-kilter, discordant instrumental before reaching a euphonious yet understated pinnacle. This may be an appropriate closer, as Booth declares “It’s time to go” and “We’re heading home” in an overt reflection on death, yet it fails to make a lasting impact when compared to the album’s highlights.
For a band who’ve been going for over 40 years, James have certainly aged gracefully, and there’s no enduring sign here that they’ll ever slow down. Sparse attempts at experimentation may be less innovative than they’d hoped, but it can’t be denied that the Manchester pioneers shine when sticking to what they know best. Within tracks on Yummy, James effectively develop their longevity, signature sound, and style. The results are quite delicious indeed.
