The inimitable YAGKI (the nom de plume of multi-instrumentalist Sarah Yagki), a firm favourite here at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia, is ridiculously busy having just spent time in Mexico on a music camp and continued a run of live performances. And despite all this, she still has time to release the most immersive music – this time the track ‘Apartment’.
This one presses on the brakes ever so slightly: it’s an anthemic slow burner with luscious gentle sounds and Yagki’s achingly beautiful vocals as soft as a silken veil floating in the air. Yagki’s vocals are ever dripping with pure emotion: a bittersweet melancholia and this is reflected in the lyrics – as Yagki says:
‘Apartment’ is my most vulnerable song yet, written in a space of grief and loss for a partner. I wrote it about shutting myself off from the world to deal with how I was feeling, but ultimately recounting the way I was drowning in my own loneliness.
There is a breathtaking majesty to this song: delicate tendrils of sound that explodes into something quite dramatic and more expensive than the bright blue skies above Australia.
The accompanying video, directed and filmed by Max Pasalic (BESTIES), opens with a fly-on-the-wall perspective as the camera trails YAGKI through her apartment. The visuals seamlessly transition from day to night, enhancing the voyeuristic sensation of witnessing her solitude before a manic episode unfolds. As YAGKI scribbles words on scattered post-it notes across the floor, the overhead lighting casts stark shadows that intensify her emotional breakdown. As the pacing quickens, the scene culminates in a powerful shot of her in the shower, crying as the colours bleed into darkness, enveloping into a torrent of emotional chaos.
As beautiful and immersive as the song itself:
YAGKI is a prodigious multi-talented star in the firmament.
‘Apartment’, produced and mixed by Yianni Adams (Betty, Kyoshi), is out now and available to download and stream via all the usual sites.
Not heard of YAGKI. Liked the song though.
Thanks for sharing!