Yoste - 'Chihiro'
Brisbane-bred bedroom singer-songwriter and producer Yoste (pronounced ‘lost’) shares ambient electronic single ‘Chihiro’.
Sonically, there’s a familiarity to Yoste’s new single, ‘Chihiro’ that rather than feeling overdone or as if it is exhausting the same old ideas, it feels like the serenity found from finding real connectivity with something. ’Chihiro’ moves with a lazy fluidity, the song is in no rush and this is reflected in its uplifting multi-layered melodies, anchored by dense bass and percussive elements so that the listener doesn’t completely float away and stays grounded.
The lyrics are short and follow an unconventional structure without a real chorus yet this is very effective. Yoste (pronounced “los”t) has intelligently crafted the track so the lyrics tend to loop alongside many of the repetitive aspects of the track’s sonic textures, allowing the boundary between real and imagination to fall away slightly and hypnotically suspended the listener in between two imaginative realms. The tone of the piece stays light and is subtly euphoric, lifting its listener higher, in spite of the notably brooding elements in the vocal and the lyrics.
’Chihiro’ feels like it represents a transitional period of letting go and looking forward. But despite its uplifting qualities, the song doesn’t shy away from more cutting imagery in the lyrics, “I tried to run but I was much too slow, I'm only young but that was long ago, the air was cooler now it burns my lungs , stains my eyes and stills my tongue. This provides a yin and yang quality to the song, offering balance, and emphasising that despite its revery and ethereal touches, this is a crisp, explorative song about waking up to what is around you and taking the time to tap into your feelings on your own terms.
Words of Karla Harris
‘Chihiro’ is taken from Yoste's forthcoming EP, ‘try to be okay’, due out February 15th via Akira Records.