INTERVIEW | ‘YELLOW DAYS’ SHARES POST-APOCALYPTIC NEW RELEASE
YELLOW DAYS on maturing in the music industry, why psychedelic music is here to stay and his rebellious new record ‘Hotel Heaven’ | By Rakelle Maurici
With a list of prolific discography already under his belt, British musician Yellow Days (George Van Den Broek) is back with an adventurous record Hotel Heaven. We had the chance to sit down with him for a chat before he embarks on his upcoming theatrical US tour.
Your new record Hotel Heaven feels slightly more melancholy with rock elements, can you tell me a bit about that?
I wanted to have a piercing sharp-end-of-the-knife sound to this record with punchier notes than previous records. It’s good to try different sounds. I produce music for other people too which includes R’n’B, soul, disco and funk and this installment of where I am at now really made me want to play with rock.
You’re sticking to psychedelic tones in the record as well, is this something you’ll always want to thread into your music?
The psychedelic tones really reflect a lifestyle of having fun and getting high. It will always be an element of my music – it’s a necessary theme in modern music. I am not sure you can have really good modern music without it. I am always really happy when I see seemingly regular folk dancing to instrumental music for an hour or two at a festival. I feel we’re at a real turning point in music with the likes of Tame Impala and Khruangbin at the helm of that, which are very much here to stay.
What inspired the new record?
I was always considered “weird” growing up because of my hair and the way I dressed but now everyone is a bit weird. A lot of the music I loved growing up is now widely accepted which is awesome. So Hotel Heaven really combines those elements with rock and theatre, which are a couple of newer elements for me. The idea is that I am a guest at “Hotel Heaven” and I am stuck within the furniture trying to escape a nasty place full of money-obsessive people.
It feels like it is destined to be played live, how does the record translate in your upcoming tour?
The live show follows the same premise, with theatrical elements. We’re playing as a hotel band and guests are complaining the music is too loud. As a failed English Philosophy student I am playing a writer’s role in the show as I wrote all the prose for it. I love to write surrealist poetry so its been really fun being able to bridge the gap between that and live music. It’s really a fragment of my imagination – a bit like Tarantino doing a cameo in one of his films.. I hope it translates to the audience as I am really excited about it.
Sounds very creative! Many artists talk about social media pressures, did you feel pressure to create something for an online audience, or any other external factors when creating it?
Absolutely. I have been touring for 10 years now and its been great to put those years of experience to use with this record and tour. When you’re 18 it’s hard to grasp visuals and concepts. Now that I have a wider understanding of the world and themes, I understand ideas really come to life the older you get. For me the show is an amalgamation that reflects my personal diary of feelings and events. The concept record came after a whirlwind of touring and meeting my idols, as well as facing a disagreement with my record label which resulted in a big record of mine never getting fully released. I felt like I had a failed a little bit. Hotel Heaven was a moment where I could conceptualise the feeling of being a failure. The pressure on young people can be really intense in the music industry and now that I am on the other side of that I can bring a level of maturity to everything.
What has changed since the release of your last record?
My achilles heel is that I can’t sit still and always want to try new things. Which is where the new sounds come in with a deeper rebel spirit – when people start telling me what to do, I do the opposite! There are lots of guitar elements to the record which feel much more rock and roll than my previous work. I had the pleasure of working with some amazing session musicians on the record such as the likes of Robert Glasper, John Carroll Kirby and Ler Mar Carter. They gave me a lot of their time and words of encouragement along the way which enabled me to try something new. I’ve loved marrying elements of jazz into a rock record. It’s a nice feeling to put something like this in my discography, feels very Ray Charles and John Lennon. Working with these amazing musicians paired with the bittersweet moment of my big record deal, left me feeling like I’d spoilt the chance I had. But a combination of my age and learning to let go of the expectations of the industry really taught me to pick myself back up.
Your songs feel like you write and sing very authentically, do you feel like you do?
Of course. If you’re trying to do too much to please others, you’re never really living life which can really swallow you up. Figuring out who you are is really important. I’ve been with my girlfriend since we were 15 and she’s always there to bring me back down to earth and allows me to live authentically. Music is such a big part of my life and I was always destined to do this but I pushed myself far too much and never knew how to say no. It took me a while to relax and figure out what made me happy, and that enabled me to feel so much more grounded which is reflected in the songs I write.
Looking back on those struggles, if you were to give your younger self some advice now, what would you say?
It’s really important to take stock of everything after your first record. I made the mistake of rocketing into each one which didn’t really give me time to reflect. Learn when to say no to enjoy life a bit more. Learning to establish a personal life outside of music is really important, rather than succumbing to being an object of entertainment which really hurts the art of making music entirely.
How do you stay grounded and sane on tour?
My band (my drummer and bassist) have been working with me since I was 15. They’re the only drummer and bassist I’ve had in my band. I can’t imagine being on tour with session players that I don’t know very well, as that would get very lonely. It’s not a regular job, you spend a lot of time together, it’s intense and demanding so its important to have people with you that you admire and love, and that have a mutual love for the music. I don’t like to complain as I am aware I have a fantastic career. If anything I’ve found making the records more stressful from external pressures rather than playing the music I love on tour.
What else have you got in store for 2024?
I recently got engaged so my plan is to go and get married to the girl that I love. Hopefully, I can get something set up to play a show in Mexico or Brazil as well as I have a huge fan base there.
Buy or Listen to ‘Hotel Heaven’ HERE
YELLOW DAYS will kick off the UK leg of their tour in Manchester on Tuesday 9th April before heading to Europe then America. Fill details below.
APRIL
9th – UK, Manchester, Band on the Wall
10th – UK, Glasgow, St. Luke’s
11th – UK, Bristol, Trinity
12th – UK, London, KOKO
18th – The Netherlands, Amsterdam, Melkweg
19th – Belgium, Antwerp, Trix
20th – France, Paris, La Trabendo
21st – Germany, Cologne, CBE
23rd – Germany, Berlin, Lido
24th – Germany, Hamburg, Mojo Club
27th – USA, Dallas, Deep Ellum Art Co.
28th – USA, Austin Psych Fest
30th – USA, Solana Beach, Belly Up
MAY
2nd – USA, Los Angeles, Lodge Room HLP
3rd – USA, Los Angeles, Lodge Room HLP
4th – USA, Pioneertown, Pappy + Harriet’s
5th – USA, San Francisco, The Independent
7th – USA, Seattle, The Crocodile
8th – Canada, Vancouver, Hollywood Theatre
9th – USA, Portland, Aladdin Theater
11th – USA, Salt Lake City, Kilby Block Party
12th – USA, Denver, The Bluebird Theater
14th – USA, St. Paul, Turf Club
15th – USA, Chicago, Thalia Hall
17th – USA, Detroit, The Loving Touch
18th – Canada, Toronto, The Opera House
20th – USA, Brooklyn, Elsewhere – Hall
JUNE
21st – USA, Durham, Motorco Music Hall
22nd – USA, Asheville, Eulogy
23rd – USA, Atlanta, Terminal West,
25th – USA, Nashville, Third Man Records – Blue Room
27th – USA, Washington, Union Stage
28th – USA, Philadelphia, Underground Arts
29th – USA, Cambridge, The Sinclair
JULY
3rd – Canada, Montreal Jazz Festival, Club Soda
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