ALBUM REVIEW - CAST – YEAH YEAH YEAH

HARRY K
Jan 18
2 min read

WORDS HARRY K

Cast – Yeah Yeah Yeah

Released Friday, January 30th, 2026

Nobody was asking for a new Cast album — which is precisely why Yeah Yeah Yeah hits with such force. Arriving almost out of nowhere, John Power’s Liverpool stalwarts don’t creep back into the conversation; they kick the door clean off its hinges. From the first furious strum of Power’s guitar, this is Cast announcing that they’re not here to trade on nostalgia.

Opener “Poison Vine” is a rush of adrenaline and colour, launching forward on a fast, heavy guitar attack before Power’s unmistakable voice snaps into focus. Drenched in 60s soul and psychedelia, it feels instantly classic yet gloriously overblown. The presence of soul legend P.P. Arnold only amplifies the impact — her vocals soar and snarl, It’s a blistering start and one of the strongest opening statements of Cast’s career.

That sense of momentum carries straight into “Don’t Look Away,” which leans hard into the melodic, big-chorus DNA that Power has spent decades refining. It’s pure Cast: rich, layered, and unapologetically tuneful, but there’s a new grandeur at play here. Recorded in Spain with producer Youth, Yeah Yeah Yeah sounds vast and sunlit, its arrangements bolstered by gospel choirs and sweeping strings that give the songs a stately, almost cinematic weight.

Arnold’s presence returns on “The Way It’s Gotta Be (Oh Yeah),” a psychedelic funk detour that feels like Cast deliberately pushing at the edges of their own sound. It’s loose, soulful — a reminder that confidence can be its own form of rebellion. Rather than feeling like guest-star window dressing, Arnold’s contributions feel foundational, grounding the album in a lineage that stretches far beyond Britpop.

Still, Yeah Yeah Yeah isn’t all bombast and uplift. “Teardrops” offers a moment of pause — wistful, melodic. It’s here that Power’s songwriting really shines, blending classic Cast melancholy with the album’s richer, more orchestral textures.

What makes Yeah Yeah Yeah work so well is its refusal to play it safe. Yes, it’s rooted in anthemic 60s pop-rock, but it’s also expansive, embracing gospel, psychedelia, funk, and strings without ever losing its core identity. It nods to the past without being trapped by it, balancing familiar hooks with fresh, full-bodied ambition.

In a landscape obsessed with youth and reinvention, Cast have pulled off something quietly radical: a comeback that doesn’t apologise for its age or its influences. Yeah Yeah Yeah is bold, melodic, and unexpectedly majestic — a reminder that great bands don’t disappear.