Evanescence - Yeah Right - Single [Review]

"Yeah Right" is American alternative metal band Evanescence's fourth single from their upcoming studio album The Bitter Truth, set to be released on March 26, 2021. Interestingly, frontwoman Amy Lee revealed on social media recently that the song was originally written for the band's 2011 self-titled album (which I reviewed here) but was ultimately cut when the album went in a different direction, and although it doesn't really remind me too much of most of what's heard on that album, it does kind of remind me of the song "Say You Will" from that album. When I first listened to the track, I found myself pleasantly surprised with the upbeat direction, bobbing my head along to the electronic production and beat of the first verse which reminded me a great deal of Muse, especially the material on their 2009 album The Resistance. I instantly loved the catchy verses featuring Lee's spitfire vocals that reminded me a bit of "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" and "Imperfection," and I honestly find the verses even catchier than the chorus (which is interesting because a song's chorus is typically its hook). The song effectively teeters between electro-rock and alternative metal, making a somewhat surprise turn, for example, when it dives into a grinding guitar solo more than halfway through the track. It's almost like it can't decide what kind of song that it wants to be, even suddenly becoming somewhat dissonant and eerie at the very end when Lee, over nothing but piano, softly repeats abridged lyrics from the song's chorus: "Yeah, right, that sounds nice - more than it was worth to sell our souls." (The Evanescence Community pointed out on Twitter that this outro is very reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails, and they definitely hit the nail on the head - pun intended - with that observation because I can't unhear it now.) Much of the material released from The Bitter Truth so far has been angst-ridden and, well, bitter, and "Yeah Right" sticks to that trend. It's a bitingly sarcastic song that I believe takes a jab at the band's former record label Wind-Up. Several years ago, Lee sued the label for unpaid royalties and parted ways with them which was after years of struggle and conflict. (The original vision of the 2011 album, for example, was scrapped due to Wind-Up's insistence, as they were not happy with the direction in which Evanescence was going.) "Someday, we'll get paid more than it was worth to sell our souls," she predicts in the powerful and anthemic chorus. In the second verse, she asserts that "I'm a rock star. I'm a queen resurrected, just as messed up as before. Twist the knife hard, just makes it easier to tell you I don't need you anymore," and I love the staccato way that the beat is rapidly punctuated near the end of that line. The lyrics, as I said, make it clear to me that the song is aimed at the music industry and likely Wind-Up specifically. As previously mentioned, The Bitter Truth is expected to drop on March 26, 2021, and along with the tracklisting (featured below) having been revealed, the album is now available for pre-order. (Please note by the way that the above cover art is courtesy of Evanescenceville, as the band has not released actual cover art for the single. Streaming platforms simply show the album cover.)