Genre-fluid Nottingham resident Yves02 (aka hidingthehurt) is on somewhat of a roll.
He recently appeared on the BBC Introducing East Midlands show, where he discussed his songwriting vulnerability, prolific output, and home-recording practices. He was also featured on The Notts Review blog on Substack.
As To Whoever It May Concern begins, it almost feels like it could be heading in the direction of recent zeitgeisty artists like Giveon, Juice Wrld or The Kid LAROI – this is down mainly to the slight use of auto-tune and the sombre, introspective vocal delivery. But there’s more at play here on Soren. The subdued, almost indie-folk instrumental accompaniment is beautiful and borders on drone-like.
On Adolescence, he leans further into this combination of unlikely stylistic bedfellows – the style continues but is exaggerated (it doesn’t get more sombre than “I think of dying when I lie in bed”). The music here becomes harsher, distorted and warped. But the mood remains as he laments the somewhat outdated uniformity of conformist social conventions (“just grow up, and leave town, get a job now, get a spouse, get some money, figure it out”).
On The Man On The Cross, Yves02 teams up with Liverpool-based songstress Patchy Blonde, and her vocals add a beautiful counterpoint to his depressive lilt. The tone is consistent with the rest of the EP, but the guitars are clean and shimmering, and the percussion is as motorik as ever.
On 300 Miles, we meet a bright acoustic guitar, and very quickly, it’s established that the song has a folky—almost country—feel about it. The juxtaposition of traditional musical and extremely modern vocal styles works curiously well. He nearly channels Elliott Smith on this one if he grew up in the 2010s and was into emo as a teen.
Together, Forever is next and starts with a Mazzy Star-style strummed electric guitar. When the vocal comes in, it feels like the album’s most vulnerable and honest moment thus far. As the song progresses and the other instruments kick in, it’s as close to commercial sounding as the record has come. I can imagine a crowd of captivated, dedicated fans singing every word back to him in a room somewhere, and it feels heartwarming. The bassline on this one is particularly excellent and adds to the whole song. It’s really rather beautiful. Yves cites Jeff Buckley as one of his biggest inspirations, and you can absolutely hear that on the guitar here.
Fear & Control almost feels like lo-fi flamenco music when it begins. As the song continues, it becomes clear that it’s perfectly in keeping with the rest of the record, although it is lyrically tonally darker. It seems to be a cautionary tale about a woman in a controlling relationship with a manipulative, abusive partner.
This leads into Morocco – an adventurous summery dream pop number with crunchy electronic drums and crystalline guitars. As the tone lifts a bit and the sing-a-long chorus comes in – along with guitars with a sharper tone – we’re reminded of Surfer Blood, precisely the sound of their fantastic second album Pythons – maybe even more specifically the song Blair Witch. It’s the highlight of the album so far.
The last track, “Oh To Leave A Legacy,” is a meditative, introspective lament that serves as a fitting coda to the album as a whole.
If we take away one thing from this experience, it’s that Yves02 cannot and will not be defined. His future is in his hands.
Written by Kinda Grizlly
