[gtranslate]
Music

Yeo returns as the impeccable Quiet Achiever

Yeo is back! Two years since we last sung his praises, Yeo is saying “Hi, sorry it’s been a while” to the internet and festival stages. Yeo has the ability to use a haunting range of vocals and reach new fields of nostalgia. In his latest efforts, he has managed to make melodies that can cater to a diverse range of music as he cleverly borrows from genres.

Yeo

It’s been a while between drinks for smooth Melbourne songwriter Yeo, the young artists giving us the first taste of his recent efforts on Quiet Achiever.

2015 has been a year of progress for Yeo, gracing stages at Kyneton Music Festival and Moomba 2015. With a near-constant eighteen months of touring around the world, including maiden international shows at Canadian Music Week 2014 and US headliners in NYC and LA, two headline Australian tours, a showcase at Bigsound 2014 and local dates alongside Glass Animals, Fractures and Peking Duk, with whom he also appeared on-stage at Stereosonic 2015 nationwide. He comments on his time abroad, “My team and I have had a lot of learning experiences – we took the live show overseas, toured Australia nationally twice, and we’re currently looking at publishing deals and finalising agreements within the team”.

His latest single, Quiet Achiever premiered on triple J last month with Richard Kingsmill, and it’s an understatement to say that it was well received. Organic tunes and floaty synths, Yeo is floating on a cloud high above any other electronic artists in the country, with hints of Toro Y Moi in his lyrical depth and artistic progression. Secret Powers featuring Yule Post reaches every level of smooth you can possibly imagine.

Quiet Achiever, is a taste of his upcoming LP which is due later this year. Yeo has described Quiet Achiever to contrast with previous release as “Probably the most concise execution of my ideas over time as a musician“. He recalls his simpler releases having a very complex beginning, and from there he had to peel away at the production until he had something strong and bold.

He describes ,“This time, with Quiet Achiever, I was careful I didn’t overshoot the mark. I was constantly asking myself if there were enough elements in the track to keep it interesting. Kind of how I like to cook – don’t overdo it, because I can’t go back and un-burn a pan-fried fillet, or pick out the hundreds of peppercorns I just accidentally spilled onto it”.

Yeo says, putting together the album (yes it’s finished!) was a very fun phase. “The realisation that art is what you leave out of the picture has really taken over my process. The passion is still strong, but it’s pointier and more refined…I hope. What began as a well-oiled machine is now a warmed-up workhorse that is not afraid of dealing with problems in a professional way. Even my tax returns are looking neater; a clear window of how my music is operating as a business – albeit still at a huge loss”.

For the next two months Yeo will be holed up in Iceland doing some writing, with the aim of coming back to Australia for a tour in October. Until then, listen to Quiet Achiever on repeat, you won’t get sick of it, it’s a hit!