KEN YATES’ NEW LP, TOTAL CINEMA, SET FOR RELEASE JUNE 6, 2025
“'Under the Cover of Light' is a masterclass in contrast: At once heavy and buoyant, intimate and anthemic, delicate and driving. The Ontario native transforms raw hope and heartache into a soaring, revitalizing experience on his latest offering – a comforting, cathartic, and charged folk rock track that invites both quiet reflection and emotional release." Atwood Magazine
WATCH / SHARE “UNDER THE COVER OF LIGHT” MUSIC VIDEO HERE
BUY / STREAM “UNDER THE COVER OF LIGHT” HERE
PRE-SAVE TOTAL CINEMA HERE
SPECIAL ‘IN CONVERSATION’ EVENT AND PERFORMANCE WITH THE TORONTO STAR’S RICHIE ASSALY ON MAY 28
KEN YATES FOLLOWS UP TOUR DATES WITH MADISON CUNNINGHAM & KATHLEEN EDWARDS WITH MORE U.S. DATES IN JUNE
“Under The Cover Of Light” Video Still
Today, Ken Yates is sharing another new track from his upcoming album, Total Cinema, set for release June 6, 2025. “Under The Cover Of Light” was one of the first songs Yates wrote for Total Cinema, and in a lot of ways, it became the album’s compass. “At its core, it could’ve easily been a ballad—slow-burning and introspective—but I nudged the tempo just enough to give it this unexpected buoyancy,” says Yates. “I like the tension of it being light on its feet vs the weight of the lyrics—about the quiet heartbreak of trying to help someone who may not be ready to be helped. That tension really set the tone for what the rest of the record would sound like.”
The song is “propelled by a dynamic guitar lick and crisp, kinetic percussion, the track surges forward with Yates’ signature emotional depth – his voice hot on the mic, charged with feeling but tempered by reflection”, shares Atwood Magazine. Adding that “It’s an anthem of empathy, a rallying cry for anyone caught between breakdown and breakthrough.”
Of the music video itself Yates explains "It was done by Dan Ledwell—who also produced, mixed, and engineered the entire album” shares Yates. “He’s a man of many talents, and I love the cohesion of having him add his touch to both the sonic and visual identity of the record. The video itself mirrors the song’s emotional undercurrent—that restless, sleepless churn in your gut as you fumble through the detours and disappointments of being human."
WATCH / SHARE “UNDER THE COVER OF LIGHT” MUSIC VIDEO HERE
BUY / STREAM “UNDER THE COVER OF LIGHT” HERE
MORE ABOUT TOTAL CINEMA + KEN YATES
"I feel like there are songs on this record that I had to live my whole life so far to write," reflects Yates on Total Cinema. "That's a cool feeling after doing this for a while—to have songs that still surprise you and feel like you had to earn them."
This atmospheric depth permeates Total Cinema, an album that captures an artist who has found clarity in making "the exact record I wanted to make." After years of determined evolution and a creative breakthrough with 2022's Cerulean, Yates has crafted his most immersive and dynamic work to date—a widescreen vision that embraces both the shadows and light of human experience.
"I don't think I found my 'sound' until Cerulean," Yates acknowledges. "It took me a decade to figure out the kind of music I wanted to make." This recognition of being a self-described "late bloomer" belies the strength of his earlier work, but carries the characteristic modesty and wisdom of an artist who understands that authentic creative identity emerges on its own timeline.
With Total Cinema, Yates widens the frame. His work, marked by precision, emotional depth, and a quiet kind of intensity, now takes on new dimensions. Where Cerulean was a study in restraint—hypnotic, meditative, deeply introspective—Total Cinema expands the lens, embracing electric textures, dynamic shifts, and an unshakable pulse that feels urgent, alive.
WATCH / SHARE “TOTAL CINEMA” VIDEO HERE
BUY / STREAM “TOTAL CINEMA” HERE
Working with producer Dan Ledwell in his Halifax backyard studio, Yates builds upon the atmospheric foundation of his previous work but adds new colors: sharper contrasts, broader instrumentation, a rawer sense of motion. "I wanted Total Cinema to be a lot more dynamic, different tempos, different vibes, different colors," Yates explains. This expansion of his sonic palette represents the natural progression of an artist no longer constrained by necessity or expectation.
The shift is more than sonic—it's thematic. If Cerulean was steeped in grief and introspection, Total Cinema is a reckoning with gratitude, self-awareness, and the absurdity of it all. The turning point came with "Under the Cover of Light", an uncharacteristically buoyant song that signaled a creative shift. "I was getting tired of playing the role of the brooding, tortured artist all the time," Yates explains. "I found myself starting to call out my own bullshit in the things I was writing."
That realization unlocks something across the album's ten tracks—a newfound willingness to explore joy alongside cynicism, to let the light in without losing the weight of experience. Tracks like "Perennials" sit beside the punchy, pop-forward "Greatest of All Time", proving Yates is unafraid to push his own boundaries.
WATCH / SHARE “PERENNIALS” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
BUY / STREAM “PERENNIALS” HERE
The recording process itself was marked by both collaboration and restraint. Joshua Van Tassel provides the rhythmic backbone, while Ledwell layers bass, piano, synths, and horns. Guest appearances from Jenn Grant, Breagh Isabel, and Kinley Dowling add warmth and texture, grounding the album in a shared creative energy.
Yates arrives at Total Cinema riding a wave of growing recognition. Recently selected as an Official Showcasing Artist at both SXSW and Americanafest 2024, he's been opening for acclaimed artists like Madison Cunningham and Kathleen Edwards while expanding his collaborative reach through songwriting with artists including with Katie Pruitt, Lori McKenna, Tiny Habits, Trousdale, Jenn Grant, and John Mark Nelson. His previous work has garnered robust support across streaming platforms, landing on playlists like Your Favorite Coffeehouse, Infinite Indie-Folk, Fresh Folk, Breaking Singer-Songwriter, and "New Music Friday Canada," with Apple Music already championing his latest singles.
Total Cinema is exactly that: a complete picture of Ken Yates in 2024—an artist embracing his evolution in real-time, crafting songs that celebrate this moment. For listeners who have followed his journey, it's the culmination of a path worth taking. For newcomers, it's an ideal entry point into the work of an artist who has learned that the most compelling stories are often those that take time to fully develop.
LISTEN / SHARE “CATACLYSMIC END” HERE
LISTEN / SHARE “MY LOVE FOR YOU IS A STRAIGHT LINE” HERE
PRE-SAVE TOTAL CINEMA HERE
Photo Credit : Brittany Farhat // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
TOUR DATES
5/28/25 - Toronto, ON - The Cameron House | In Conversation with Toronto Star’s Richie Assaly
6/1/25: Chicago, IL - The Hideout
6/3/25: New York, NY - Nightclub 101
6/4/25: Wayne, PA - 118 North
6/5/25 - Boston, MA - Lizard Lounge
PAST PRAISE FOR KEN YATES
“...I’m obsessed with this song by Canadian troubadour Ken Yates” - Ann Powers, NPR Music on “Cataclysmic End”
"It’s another lyrical vessel of yearning and emotional reckoning matched up with strummed acoustic guitar, further setting the scene for what Cerulean has in store." - FLOOD
"Cerulean is more astral than backroads, a soundscape that gives Yates room to ruminate, approaching the concert hall atmospherics of The War on Drugs, Andy Shauf, and Big Thief." - The Creek 100.9
“Yates has now asserted himself as one of Canada’s most unique folk artists with a true knack for effective songwriting.” - Canadian Beats
"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
"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
"Welcome to my obsession in life. The single greatest, most played artist in my car, house, office in the last 3 years. When I’m not listening to That Station, I’m listening to Ken."
- Chris Edge, WRAL
TOTAL CINEMA TRACKLIST
01 Sidewinder
02 Greatest Of All Time
03 Under The Cover Of Light
04 Total Cinema
05 Cataclysmic End
06 Superimposed
07 Perennials
08 Paincaving
09 My Love For You Is A Straight Line
10 The Great Resolution
11 The Master
