When you read the band name Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, your immediate association may not be Midwestern indie pop reminiscent of the 1990s. But it is exactly what you get from this group of five that met just before the turn of the century and named themselves after the first Russian president after the end of the Soviet Union.
The easiest way to find out about the vibe of SSLYBY is to have a look at their website: formatted with a tumblr template, it displays a collective that doesn’t take themselves too seriously, instead celebrating their musical camaraderie by looking simultaneously back and ahead. Aptly naming themselves “the third best band on Weller Street” and listing their achievements like a recent high school graduate who has not yet learned how to format. You get the idea of a band that does not take themselves too seriously, that aspires to maintain a self-made image regardless of the numbers of their latest tour or record sales.
Their latest album, The High Country (2015) reveals traces of this band sentiment with a collection of songs that blur the line between high-end and bedroom recordings: a tender selection of fuzzy indie pop staples that combines easy melodies with engaging instrumentation. Swaying from high energy hits to more mellow ballads, danceable bangers like the opening Line On You (a straightforward introduction to the overall vibe of the record) are offset by the beautifully soft Madeline. The latter sticks to its surprisingly soft demeanour, with a consistent background ‘ooh’ sugarcoating every bar, the repetitive plea to please find me Madeline, a mantra without an answer that fades out over a solitary bass drum – like a heartbeat, waiting.
Foreign Future stands out among the familiar drum patterns and staple guitar licks, a subtle difference that catches the ear with its turn towards the meditative half way through. Instead of speeding up or building towards an expected climax, SSLYBY go the opposite route: the standard instrumentation fades out, guitar and bass retreating to make place for the piano. It is a moment of introversion, of contemplation on a record that otherwise feels self-assured and unapologetically genre-specific. Turning inwards, reflecting on the passing of all things – but not with a sense of defeat but an unusual notion of acceptance and sombreness. I, I just sigh / I, I just sigh / All things will lose their light / I, I just sight.
The tracks on The High Country range from clear narratives to associative lyric collages. Trevor Forever follows the singer’s romantic efforts for Stevie, a girl who keeps going back to her unfaithful boyfriends Trevor instead of finding security with our protagonist (featuring the album’s most poignant line: Stevie / Tell me what you think about history / Do you wanna bring down fascists with me, Stevie), whereas Magnet’s New Summer ‘Do layers rhyming patterns of the word ‘done’ over a bright marimba line and familiar indie structures without indulging in a clear-cut narrative.
I stumbled upon Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin in a search for the most absurd band names, expecting them to make Russian folk metal or industrial post-punk. Finding a concise, almost mix-tape-like collection of 90s inspired indie pop came as a surprise. But a pleasant one. It is soothing music, sure of itself and its form with just the right levels of stability and subtle deviation.
The Dad Anthology 