Albums of the Year 2025: #57

yeule (aka Nat Ćmiel), the cyborg alchemist coalescing the soundscapes of glitch-pop electronica, alt rock, and trip-hop.

After their breakthrough sophomore album in 2022, Glitch Princess, Nat Ćmiel crystallised their place as alt electronica luminary with their boundary-breaking 2023 album, softscars. Both albums were named ‘Best New Music’ by Pitchfork with the latter lauded as a “riotous, high-energy journey” by the Guardian.

Now comes new album Evangelic Girl is a Gun, via Ninja Tune. It is yeule’s most unrestrained and emotionally baring work yet, as they grapple with ideas of a self-destructive identity burning through the canvas of post-modernity. Accompanied by still visual artworks made in collaboration with artist Vasso Vu (Ashnikko, Marina Abramović), Ćmiel explores the duality of darkness, as well as their personal history to their role as the "painter.”

Through the album’s hypnotic melodies, they present a portrait of the tortured artist trapped within an image, as Ćmiel’s haunting vocals act as an emotional chokehold atop dance beats. The album features production from A.G. Cook (Charli xcx, Caroline Polachek), Chris Greatti, Mura Masa, Clams Casino, Fitnesss, and Kin Leonn, Ćmiel’s trusted collaborator and co-executive producer of 2023’s softscars.