Posted by Sebastian Carandang aka YEEK is the New Jersey born multidisciplinary who came up creating coastal, sun-dappled soft-rock in the vein of Mac DeMarco – a component part of the trendy West Coast enclave. Yeek’s new record ‘Valencia’ continues the 10-track, breakneck pace he established on his debut ‘Love Slacker’ and 2017 sophomore effort ‘Sebastian’: tracks never pass the three-minute mark – the whole experience is over in just under 30 minutes.
A lot is packed within this fleeting record, however. Yeek’s lamentations on his rapidly changing trajectory make for some poignant moments; album opener ‘Lumbargo’, a literal reference to the back pain he endured as a child, expounds a deeper, Delphic tale of familial ties and the memories we preserve to hold them close. Throughout the record, Yeek centres his Filipino heritage and the community that raised him, juggling his expectations, loyalties, friendships and the promise of new love whilst navigating the travails distance.
Yeek relinquished some autonomy when recording ‘Valencia’, branching out and roping in just a few collaborators to help augment his sound. Producer and mixer Jeff Ellis, whose previous credits include Frank Ocean, Snoh Aalegra and Omar Apollo, fortifies the record with just enough sheen, never compromising the granular, distorted world Yeek has a natural affinity for.
As a result, ‘Valencia’ ascribes more openly to R&B and trap conventions than Yeek’s previous efforts; the title track and ‘This Time’ evoke the Brent Faiyaz brand of nihilistic, vapourwave prog- R&B. The record reaches starrier heights when Yeek veers even further into cross-genre territory; take the penultimate track, ‘Watch Me’, swelling funk riffs playing out an inhibition-free jaunt down the fast lane, even if it is laced with the bittersweet tinge of solitude.
On ‘Valencia’, Yeek ensures there’s symmetry between playability and experimentation; this may well be his most successful release to date. Now 30, having accrued a high-volume discography, Yeek is willing to let go of the veneer, giving us a peak into his inner sanctum.
7/10
Words: Shahzaib Hussain
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