The grey areas of life fascinate, and for Manchester-born, Surrey-bred artist Yellow Days that most certainly is the case. The psychedelic indie pop artist has been gearing up for the release of ‘Hotel Heaven’, a project that shows autonomy and thrives on intent over the course of seven tracks.
Yellow Days, aka George van den Broek, is probing and ambitious, his quest for inspiration makes him dig deep as he draws on a broad palette of genre, style and structure. A quirky concoction of funk, soul, pop and visual tricks the musician is seen move effortless between genres, shifting swiftly with rare ease.
While initial listens point towards something upbeat, almost euphoric, what soon becomes apparent is the extent to which this blend has more complexity to display than a first encounter might suggest. A cinematic dimension is there, echoes of film and TV shows such as The Shining, The White Lotus and Twin Peaks make for compelling sonic input.
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Depicting the delusion of luxury and fame as much as aspiring to start again, the record is an unconventional, much welcome view of the world. Tuning in, setting the raw, decadent scene ‘Welcome to the Hotel Heaven’ is a suitable opener. Concise, daring, it prepares the listener for what’s about to unfold, before the uptempo ‘Mrs Moonlight’ is heard and strange vibes are felt as the rousing, seductive ‘You’re So Cool’ takes over the sonic space.
Elsewhere, the somewhat brighter, breezy ‘Finer Things In Life’ opens the door to another space at Hotel Heaven, a song where soft guitar lines meet soul and free-flowing jazzy drumbeats. ‘Crying For Help At the Suite’ is a dark, nostalgic affair made up of drawled vocals coupled with stripped back instrumentation.
The number seven is a lucky number. Yellow Days’ release is not a result of good luck, it is perfectly possible that listeners will feel as if struck by luck after listening, the sense of uplift and immersion is there, just waiting to be experienced.
7/10
Words: Susan Hansen
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