Album Review: Yuna – Nocturnal

Malaysian songstress Yuna recently made her debut appearance on the Australian scene in Adelaide. But it’s no secret that the young star has been focusing a lot of her playful energy on this, the release of her second full-length album entitled, ‘Nocturnal’.

Found somewhere between alt-folk and pop, let’s say a sort of Avril Lavigne meets Emily Sandé, this records main appeal lies largely within its production value. Having already buddied up with the mighty Pharrell Williams on her breakthrough hit ‘Live Your Life’, Yuna has this time enlisted the help of Pharrell’s fellow Neptunes prodigy Chad Hugo to help capture her sound.

Musically it’s a pleasant listen throughout. There are some interesting instruments to be discovered and the song structures are pleasing at best. But lyrically speaking, ‘Nocturnal’ feels very naïve. Sounding like a dodgy 70s police sitcom, the intro to ‘I Want You Back’ leads on to a delicate voice expressing regret towards their (perhaps now former) partner. It’s not an overly bad song, but it’s just not a great one either.

A sizeable chunk of the 11 tracks are about the same dull subject (you guessed it, relationships), and no matter how many times to hear a quirky handclap or jazzy vibrato, you’re left feeling that there is a lack of originality present. That said, it’s almost certain that this record is home to a handful of potential Top 40 singles (see ‘Rescue’ & ‘Colors’), and if you’re simply looking for a bit of summery-sounding, guilt free pop music injected into your daily routine, why not give this one a go.