This was written October 10th, 2023.
Yves Tumor (Sean Bowie), a Black and nonbinary musician uses religious imagery to compile a wonderfully and beautifully written sound. Tumor highlights societal expectations of someone like them. Someone who does not fit into a stereotypical idea. The artist maintains a focus on accepting the non-accepted, those who may not meet an overall standard for how they present on the outside.
Yves Tumor is currently on their U.S. and Europe To Spite or Not to Spite Tour for their fifth album, “Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)” released in 2023.
Yves Tumor’s album cover for “Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)”.
Courtesy of Pitchfork
The masculinized voice paired with a feminine-like presentation—such as smeared, sleazy eyeliner and tight-fitting clothes, gives Tumor a non-conforming appearance. Tumor wears crop tops, leather pants, and dark, glittery makeup on their tour.
Not only is their physical presentation colorful, but the album “Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)” exhibits a roar of the guitar, an exasperatedly-sounding keyboard, and an ambitious, heavily-ranged voice. With no exact genre to put a finger on, Tumor uses it to their ultimate advantage. With such an innovative sound, the artist mixes rock, electronic, pop, and post-punk into a dense mix.
Tumor began creating music to get away from the “very conservative, racist, homophobic, [and] sexist environment” that they were raised in, according to an interview with Dazed Magazine. A major theme in Tumor’s album is religion: each song is titled with biblical themes such as “Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood,” “God is a Circle” and “Fear Evil Like Fire.”
An escape from the toxic environment gave Tumor their soapbox for religious imagery and biblical themes. The evil and Hell-like ideas portray a sense of contrast to the voice of the artist. The heavenly span of instruments and singing sits on top of the themes like oil in water. Noticeable.
According to Medium, Tumor has expressed that they think “religion is super toxic” but “spirituality can be important to keeping yourself balanced.” The artist can maintain a strong middle ground for religion itself, even if the imagery and themes are rich.
Yves Tumor uses self-expression to create music that may stray away from typicality. As a gender non-conforming artist, they create a space for queer listeners (like me) to feel at peace with themselves—while also questioning the album’s motives. Religion, a crucial part of their overall sound, leaves fleeting, unanswered questions for listeners like myself to cumulate concerns about religion and what it means to us and Tumor.