SHOW PREVIEW: YEEK @ THE ROXY
Sebastian Carandang, better known by his nearly onomatopoeic stage name, Yeek, bends and mixes genres like pieces of putty into musical masterpieces through which he shows no hesitation to be vulnerable. Yeek began his journey into the arts straight out of the womb. The Carandang family is built of a collective of artists, making up a home that resembles that of an artist’s colony. However, offering his art to the ears of the public did not happen until Yeek reached his twenties when he began releasing singles into South Florida’s alternative soundscapes through Soundcloud. What’s most impressive about Yeek, other than the fact that he records, mixes, produces, and masters his own music, is how he has steadily gained a dedicated fan following and continues to produce a fast-moving stream of songs while working as an independent artist. Yeek’s dedication to the quality of his creations is evident through his music where he makes a blended-to-perfection smoothie of indie, hip-hop, R&B, and punk flavored discography.
Yeek’s extended play, IDK WHERE, his most recent release, opens with the single ‘Cleaner Air.’ In this song, Yeek plays around with the sounds of the 90’s punk era. The lyrics are the desperate pleas of a man to a woman who wants to leave him. With creative intention, the lyrics juxtapose the upbeat, sun-kissed strum of a guitar, causing the listener to be oblivious to the sad nature of the song if they are not listening closely. The following five tracks diverge from ‘Cleaner Air,’ leaning more heavily into R&B and hip-hop. My personal favorite single from his new EP is one that documents the fall of a relationship that has passed its peak: ‘Your Loss’ ft. UMI. Though I may be biased to like this single more because of UMI, a fellow Trojan, this song successfully executes the call-and-response style in a way that mimics the real-life back-and-forth of a defeated couple. Yeek proves again through IDK WHERE that he is not afraid to dive deep into his emotions when it comes to songwriting.
Whenever I find the time on a lazy summer day to take my longboard down the bike path behind my house, I have Yeek’s Spotify page flowing on shuffle through my pink dollar tree headphones. Now, knowing that I am privileged enough to support Yeek, my Pinoy family member, and his opening act, Dotha, on July 25th at the Roxy, my heart beats with frenzied anticipation. Although I feel myself growing more in my impatience as the date grows closer, I am happy to, for now, resign myself to experience his music through my pink earbuds.
— Star McCown, Staff