Because this is 2020 and life gets stranger by the moment, this electronic set can be purchased digitally or on . . . cassette. Oh, I know that's all the rage these days, but still. On the other hand, that fact says a lot about Big Yawn even before clocking the first track.

Big Yawn South Preston Garage EP (Research)

Big Yawn picks and chooses from various electronic sounds of the last 50 years, taking a bit of 70s German engineering, throwing in a healthy dollop of 80s acid house and 90s DnB and finishing it off with just enough ambient detachment to pull everything together. The varied percussion is the actual glue, but the ability of the band to find different angles of approach on each song is striking.

And these are more songs than conceptual pieces. They're not long (none roll past 4:30) and they have clear arcs. This isn't EDM and there aren't any drops to speak of. Big Yawn is definitely more in the Moroder school of electronics, even if these songs don't really sound anything like that.

I know I've bounced around here. Big Yawn is so expansive in its palette and so detailed in its execution that it is a little difficult to capture the full picture. If you like your electronic music playful and engaging, these six songs should find a way to your ears soonest. Utterly stimulating.

Jon Worley