Seattle musician Carkeys ruminates on everything from mental health to survivor’s guilt on soul-baring EP ‘epitome of yin’.
Carkeys has treaded the complex waters of his personal experiences on ‘epitome of yin’, a five-track collection that dives headfirst into sombre topics and marks the Seattle musician’s debut EP.
Deriving its title from Carkeys’ own personality, ‘epitome of yin’ explores both the darkness that lives within the artist, and the duality of both himself and society more broadly.
It feels fitting for an artist who describes his work as “sad, mad, and sleepy”, and who draws inspiration from the likes of Lil Peep and Pierce The Veil.
This sonic palette traces Carkeys’ experiences with heartbreak, addiction, depression and the tragic loss of his girlfriend, showcasing music’s role in translating these extremely sensitive yet universal emotions.
We get a close look into Carkeys’ psyche on the first track, and EP standout ‘dream boy’, a lush, gentle reverie that coasts on minimal ambient beats before soaring to pure rock revelry.
Carkeys’ efforts on ‘die in my arms’, the EP’s rawest and most emotional cut, with rich production that provides a backdrop for Carkeys’ tender reflection on survivor’s guilt and his desire for some form of divine intervention.
Atop thrashing guitar sequences and clashing cymbals, Carkeys lays bare his struggles with mental health and grief, offering heartfelt lyrics about his late-girlfriend (pictured below) and showcasing a level of vulnerability that’s rarely seen in his genre.
“i don’t wanna breathe anymore,” he pines with tangible sadness, “I don’t want to dream anymore.”
‘epitome of yin’s’ third track ‘Resurrect’ opens with the glittery strings and melancholic vibes, a stirring, trap-laden ballad, the track immediately establishes Carkeys’ sonic signature with hip-hop flourishes and a deeply emotional undercurrent.
The beats are propulsive, but the vocal layerings, which ascend to heavenly heights, bring a tangible sadness to the rhythm.
‘Inconsistent’ brings with it a genre-switch — emphasised by the second track’s clear ear for classic rock flairs like screechy guitars — remains a throughline across the entire tracklist, while it veers toward punk.
Here, Carkeys adopts a sneering timbre and sings alongside thunderous drum lines, musing with vulnerability about his quest to be a better person and his struggles with depersonalisation disorder.
The last track sees Carkeys’ confront death and his own nightmares, exploring personal themes that again rear their head on ‘it’s hard for me’.
Setting the pace with warm, rustic acoustic guitars and muffled percussion, before ushering in a rap-rock feel with gritty instrumentation and shouty vocals.
What all of it amounts to is a deeply personal EP, one that showcases Carkeys’ distinct sonic style and his ability to translate his experiences in the hope it might help someone else.
Listen to Carkeys’ new EP ‘epitome of yin’ below.
Photos by Jimmy Humphryes.
