The last time that we heard from the way-out experimental rock star Yves Tumor was 2023, when they released the towering album Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds). It was one of our favorite albums of that year. Now, Tumor has returned with a new single, and it's a collaboration with NINA. I'm not talking about the German singer who made "99 Luftballoons," though that honestly seems plausible. That's Nena. I'm talking about NINA. Keep up.
This NINA, otherwise known as Nina Cristante, was born in Rome, and she's now one third of the London band bar italia. Earlier this year, she released her solo singles "Till The Devil Gets Bored" and "Twink." Just last month, NINA released a collection of tracks called Compilation, while bar italia dropped their single "Cowbella." She also did the score for her own directorial debut, a film called The Richest Man In Babylon. She is a busy person.
Yves Tumor and NINA's "WE DONT COUNT" -- lack of apostrophe theirs -- is a bright, sinuous new wave jam that sounds like an honest-to-god hit, at least of the underground variety. The sound is murky and lo-fi, but the hooks are sharp, and there's a whole lot of swagger in the vocals. The bassline is an absolute beast. These two are really going for it, and they're doing it in their own way. Yves Tumor and NINA both shot the shadowy, glamorous black-and-white video, and you can watch it below.
"WE DONT COUNT" is out now on Warp.
