Review: Aya Yves releases debut EP 'What We Look With The Light On'
Words: Jett Tattersall
Image: Jenny Wu
Since she first barrelled into our hearts, via our ears, with her angelic vocals and poignant lyricism, Canberra-based songster, Vendulka’s sound was always so much more than its folk-pop pigeonhole. So, she reimagined herself and released a string of acclaimed singles under the moniker Aya Yves. The project showcased her ferocity for storytelling, a near-tangible, symphony of reflection and heat slowing bass-tracks. And on top of those startlingly ethereal vocals, there is an edge, a bite, and savagely honest poetry that cements itself throughout every track. Upon first listen to her latest EP What We Look Like With the Light On it is no question that Yves takes delight in breaking through expectations and making the music that races through her veins.
Lead track ‘in(Sanity)’ is an addictive electro soul-pop number about the perpetual self-destructive behaviour of committing to a person, or situation, which we know will lead us to regret. A stomping, clawing mantra of a song that raises you in the chorus only to drop you back down in the verse. Musically recapturing that psychological gauntlet of chasing your tail through harmful situations, Yves knew this story had to be told first-and-foremost with a melody: “It started with the hook - I’d had it in my head for weeks. I wanted to utilise my vocal flip, so it had to be a pretty specific key.” There’s an empowering feel to it, both lyrically and sonically, which is deceiving, and cruel because it examines our collective emotional masochism. Our inability to cut ties and move on. It is a reoccurring theme that is carried throughout the seven-tracks. With gems like ‘Spoken Word’, a song that plays out in a whisper, a secret so exposed that it almost sounds as if we are eavesdropping into Yves internal monologue.
'Smart Girls' (one of Women In Pop’s top 50 tracks of 2020) begins as a shoulder bop, a finger click. Then, in true Yves style – it flips. A heady electro-pop track that morphs effortlessly into a dark, minimal, bass-thick chorus that swells perfectly alongside Yves confronting lyrics. “It is about that reflection on a relationship and knowing that at the end of the day you did all you could, you’re a badass, but the relationship wasn’t right for you.” This Frankenstein’s monster twist to a traditional pop-song is the hook that has you hitting the replay button.
The initial chords, harmonies of ‘With The Lights On’ are purred with such whimsy only for the lyrics to slap your thought train with their brutal sting ‘If I’m being honest / I like me better when you’re not around.’ A pocket-mirror of the EP’s title ‘This is what you look like with the light on’, it is that moment in a relationship when someone’s flaws become so transparent that you realise, with a smile, that the strength in walking away was there all along. When discussing the EP as a whole, Yves notes “They’re all about relationships, human flaws, really - the human experience, in all its bruised and battered glory.”
Aya Yves has tapped into that gentle mess of the human condition, the constant wrestle between head and heart. The entire collection plays out like an anthropological study, through a kaleidoscope. Toying with loops, synthesisers, and experimental underwater bass, she represents the beauty in human failings and sings her heart out of its savage charm.
What We Look Like With The Light On is out now. You can download, buy and stream here.
To keep up with all things Aya Yves you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
