Image: Universal Music
The Swiss electropop duo Yello is releasing its 15th studio album, «Time Lab». On it, Boris Blank and Dieter Meier combine new sonic ideas with recordings spanning nearly 50 years of the band’s history. Heidi Happy and Malia also appear on the new album.
For Yello, the past is never far away. Since the late 1970s, Boris Blank and Dieter Meier have been developing their own sound, blending electronic music, film aesthetics, and experimental pop. On «Time Lab», the concept of time and the band’s own history takes center stage. Blank draws on his extensive archive, combining old fragments with new samples to create the musical foundation for Meier’s lyrics.
«You can’t reinvent yourself every day. You keep bringing things from the past to the surface that help you move forward, bit by bit,» says Blank.
The first single, «Around the Sun», demonstrates how this works. The vocal recording by Dieter Meier dates back to the early 1980s. The song was originally intended for Yello’s second album, «Claro Que Si», but was scrapped shortly before its release. More than four decades later, Blank has combined the old vocal track with a new production.
The second single, «Break Out» also draws on earlier influences. A distinctive bass riff, driving rhythms, and elements of classic crime film soundtracks define the track.
In addition to the two Yello musicians, «Time Lab» also features familiar voices. Swiss singer Heidi Happy contributes two more subdued tracks, «You And Me» and «Beautiful You». Malia, who has collaborated with Yello on several occasions, can be heard on «Dancing Flame». Another connection leads to the world of film: «Streets of Berlin» was created in conjunction with the new season of «Babylon Berlin».
With «About Time» the duo also strikes a socially critical note: in it, Meier addresses the destruction of the Earth. Meanwhile, «Zebra»—featuring lyrics by science fiction author Philip K. Dick—takes the listener in a completely different direction.
«Yello’s music is truly timeless,» says Boris Blank. «Time Lab» demonstrates just how consistently the duo has pursued this idea, even after nearly five decades.