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Dropping hints left right and centre, Yeo pulls back the veil on his usually coy lyricism to discuss themes of pleasure and ambiguous relationships through clever, understated wordplay.
The whispered lines “you say you’re done chasing waterfalls when thirsty/but I don’t get why you still let them do you dirty” fill the spaces yet leave you wanting more.
Grounded in a grungy, graveyard of playful samples and inspired by the alternative pop sensibilities of artists like Muni Long, Jackson Wang and UMI, Yeo encourages us to listen between the lines for Easter eggs planted in the bass-heavy arrangement to fully enter the complex mix of emotions embodied within the song.
Yeo describes the range of emotions he felt while writing SHAKE as “Frustration, anger, alternating between high confidence and low self-worth”
Known for his sly sense of songwriting, the singer-songwriter has never been more explicit in his approach. On this new challenge, he shares:
“I don't think I've written so explicitly before. When I listen back I think....man, sounds like I'm seething.”
Alongside the single’s release on the 17th, a spatial audio version of the song will debut on Apple Music. Of this new experimentation, Yeo shares how it has brought a new dimension to the track:
“It's a learning curve. I like that there are limits, forcing you to be decisive. My aim was to create a sonic environment that was fun, trying to involve the listener, and effectively fill the new space available.”
Vulnerable on a whole different level, SHAKE is a tasty new experience from Yeo that’s bound to get you excited for what’s to come.
YEO – SHAKE
Friday March 17, 2023
Written, produced and performed by Yeo
Mixed and spatial audio mixed by Yeo
Mastered by Adam Dempsey
Artwork and press photography by Vivan Vo
