NEW ALBUM, CERULEAN, DUE OUT JUNE 3, 2022
WATCH / SHARE “BEST OF THE BROKEN THINGS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “BEST OF THE BROKEN THINGS” HERE
PRE-ORDER CERULEAN HERE
TOUR DATES BEGIN THIS SUMMER // TICKETS HERE
"An enchanting song of acceptance and resolve, Ken Yates’ “The Big One” is a soothing and stirring apocalyptic lullaby that finds refuge in the face of life’s fragility." Atwood Magazine
"The melancholic track finds Yates back with his sweet, signature guitar strums, only this time, exploring the depths of a heartbreaking unrequited love.” Canadian Beats on “Consolation Prize” Feat. Katie Pruitt
"Ken has earned a strong reputation as a bona-fide composer who combines his emotionally charged storytelling with some incredible and unforgettable melodies.” - Great Dark Wonder
Photo Credit : Jen Squires // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Singer-songwriter Ken Yates releases his third single today, "Best Of The Broken Things", where he pieces himself back together–along with its accompanying icy, tranquil video. Cerulean, Yates' forthcoming full-length album, is due out June 3 and is available for pre-order now.
"Best of the Broken Things," sees Yates take a hard look at himself as he explores his own conscience and gives himself a pep talk throughout the track. What began as a pep talk to another person transformed into Yates turning inward , telling these words to himself, and it was at this point that the forthcoming album took shape. Yates softly sings in the final chorus, "And the worst pain comes with no bleeding / When you’re stuck staring at the ceiling / But I think it’s worth repeating / You’re the best of the broken things / The best of the broken things." With the help of producer Jim Bryson, the track concludes with an extended instrumental outro that initially saw various changes to its arrangement before ultimately landing on the stripped down version that can be heard today. In typical Ken Yates fashion, accompanied by the voice of Caroline Marie Brooks, the track ends with a long, hopeful crescendo as Yates manages to find the silver lining in otherwise fractured circumstances.
WATCH / SHARE “BEST OF THE BROKEN THINGS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “BEST OF THE BROKEN THINGS” HERE
In addition to the new music, Yates will be touring this summer live with more to be added, across Ontario. Multiple dates feature artists like Jadea Kelly, Abigail Lapell, Jenny Berkel, and Brian Dunne. Tickets are available now here.
MORE ABOUT CERULEAN
“Reflecting back now, I can almost hear myself processing what I was going through in real time, to the point where even the track listing was obvious–an accurate timeline of the feelings and emotions I was dealing with.”
Cerulean opens with “The Big One” ft. Kathleen Edwards, an achingly poignant song that starts, quite poetically, at the end. “A friend kept talking about ‘The Big One’, a high-magnitude earthquake expected to strike the Pacific Northwest. In the last couple of years it feels like we have all developed a slight doomsday mentality, myself included; feeling like the world might be ending. Of course, we’re not really sure how, so that song is reckoning with the ‘armageddon’, and a realization of how trivial a lot of our personal relationships or conflicts can be when we are staring face-to-face with the end. The only thing to do is ride out your last few moments with the people you love.”
An album standout, he paints a portrait of relatable restlessness on “Don’t Mean to Wake You” (ft. Stephanie Lambring), a warm and driving folk rock reverie. Yates finds himself lost in a pool of thoughts that gnaw at him so much that he has to turn over and wake his partner. It’s as much an attempt to save himself from himself, as it is a gentle cry for help.
WATCH / SHARE “CONSOLATION PRIZE” FT. KATIE PRUITT HERE
BUY / STREAM “CONSOLATION PRIZE” FT. KATIE PRUITT HERE
The dynamic and driving “Honest Light” similarly finds him reassuring himself, this time from within. “My wife always refers to golden hour as ‘honest light’, when the light illuminates all the dust on your floor and the crumbs on your counter”, Yates explains. “I had the line, ‘life is like a cheap wine, it don’t get any better with time.’ I merged the title and line together as sort of this acceptance that things are not alright, but you’ll be alright.”
This mature recognition of life’s imperfection proves the lifeblood of Cerulean, and every time Yates seems to be on the verge of sinking, he swims – held afloat not only by his own inner strength, but also by his community. Cerulean is a group effort, with features from singer/songwriter contemporaries including Kathleen Edwards, Stephanie Lambring, Katie Pruitt, and more.
“Although these songs were born in a period of isolation, it turned out to be my most collaborative album yet. There are full band arrangements on every song, and a few of my favourite artists lended their voices, which really brought this record to life”.
WATCH / SHARE “THE BIG ONE” FT. KATHLEEN EDWARDS
BUY / STREAM “THE BIG ONE FT. KATHLEEN EDWARDS
After forty minutes spent exploring a world of vulnerable depths and soaring sonics, Cerulean closes in a moment of tranquility. “The final song, ‘Cerulean’, is about searching for balance – an equilibrium. We move through this endless colour wheel of emotions every day, but you have to find those small moments of peace and acceptance, and reassure yourself, ‘I’m okay.’
Yates’ mother Beverley passed away in August 2021.
“I’m strangely in a better headspace now than I was a year ago when she was still with us,” he admits. “I may owe that to taking a hard look at myself through the lens of these songs”.
Now that he’s on the other side, Yates says this album proved a transformative experience – allowing him to grow, while giving him some much-needed resolution to the past few years. “I feel more open than ever, at peace with where I am as an artist,” he reflects. “This is the first time I’ve had a real personal story I wanted to tell. It does feel like I’ve had a moment to reset my life, and now I can start to share that with the rest of the world.”
Loss is a shared human experience. Through Cerulean, Ken Yates not only puts the full scope of his own healing process on display, but he also reminds us that we’re not alone in our pain – and that with time, we may just find our way to acceptance. (Mitch Mosk)
PRE-ORDER CERULEAN HERE
KEN YATES LIVE
May 25 - Nashville, TN - The Basement
Jun 8 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark
Jun 11 - East Lansing, MI - Pumpstock
Jun 18 - Bayfield, ON - Bayfield Town Hall
Jun 19 - Smith's Falls, ON - Bowie’s
Jun 20 - Kingston, ON - The Red House
Jun 22 - Toronto, ON - The Cameron House
Jun 23 - London, ON - The Aeolian Hall
Jun 25 - Hamilton, ON - Mills Hardware w/ Abigail Lapell
Jun 27 - Londonderry, NH - Concerts on the Common
All tickets can be found HERE
*** More dates will be announced soon ***
PRE-ORDER CERULEAN HERE
CERULEAN TRACKLIST
01. The Big One (feat. Kathleen Edwards)
02. The Future Is Dead
03. Don’t Mean To Wake You (feat. Stephanie Lambring)
04. Consolation Prize (feat. Katie Pruitt)
05. Small Doses
06. Best Of The Broken Things
07. Honest Light (feat. Caroline Marie Brooks)
08. Half Clenched Teeth
09. Good Things (feat. Liz Longley)
10. Grocery Store
11. Cerulean
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