Despite only releasing their first batch of demos on Friday, new band Emperor Yes are already set to smash the ball out of the park in 2012, simultaneously screwing up all Tips articles because we weren’t given enough time to prepare, damnit. Mind you with Adam Betts (Three Trapped Tigers), Ash Gardner (House of Strange) and Hugo Sheppard (ex-Summer Camp and To-mera) at the helm, and an array of musicians including Jeremy Warmsley contributing, it’s no wonder they’ve managed to achieve such extraordinary heights so quickly.
Unlike the bandmembers’ previous acts, Emperor Yes rely on synth-pop like it never went out of fashion, bringing a sort of Flaming Lips-meet-Postal Service quirk to songs that must have been recorded in Hunter S Thompsons basement, circa 1986. As varied in style as they are coherent, “Wasps” particularly has a Eugene Francis Jnr vibe, though with their jetpacks set to supercharge Emperor Yes will probably surpass the former within a matter of days.