Following hot on the heels of recent single Los Angelus, Cork’s smoothest crooner Yenkee has returned with new single ‘Hand Luggage’ and news of his long-awaited debut album ‘Night Golf’ which is set for release on 25th October via Soft Boy Records (Kojaque, Kean Kavanagh).
Yenkee describes the ‘80s tinted ‘Hand Luggage’ as being about “moments of clarity when you realise how much you love the fundamentals of life…It’s about missing people. When we’d go on holidays when I was younger you’d always hear someone say “can you take me in your suitcase?””. The single is accompanied by a vide directed by James Baldwin which flips the title into a tale of unconventional romance.
Yenkee may now be based in London, but growing up on the Northside of Cork City shaped his love of music. “Being Irish, you are always brought up around music and song. It’s so ingrained, you can’t avoid it”.
Taking his cues from a diverse array of artists such as Arthur Russell, Dolly Parton, Manu Chao, Talking Heads and Fionn Regan, Yenkee has developed a style which is overtly familiar but also thoroughly his own. Early singles such as Cannibal Tree received notable placements on TV series such as Normal People and Conversations With Friends, won him famous fans including Florence Pugh.
The album’s title is drawn from a throwaway tweet Yenkee posted in 2014 that simply said “#NightGolf.” “I had songs written but I just thought right, that’s the name of the album. How do I fit the music around that title?.”
Yenkee recorded most of ‘Night Golf’ himself in various makeshift setups, alongside stints working with producer Peter Brien in his Belfast studio, Adam Kaye in Hackney and knocking out single-session songs with Karma Kid in South London.
Pre-order ‘Night Golf’ – here. Tracklisting below.
Tracklist:
- One In A Few
- A Man Alive
- That’s Too Bad
- Los Angelus
- Bubbles
- Last Saturday Night
- Southside
- Hand Luggage
- Boston
- Tired All The Time ft. Kean Kavanagh
- The Bayou