Slept All Day – Yutori
Being the enigmatic music hub that it is, it’s no surprise Austin, Texas birthed the supreme electronica duo Slept All Day. Their newest release, Yutori, is a concept album, with “Yutori” functioning as a Japanese term for spaciousness. Perfect for easy listening, the album conveys serenity, peace, and welcomes the springtime thaw.
The first track, “Seagulls in the Waves,” starts off strong with a very deep atmosphere – something that is certainly true throughout Yutori‘s entirety. The singer mentions the “sun shin[ing] on [his] tired face,” a perfect lyrical accompaniment that compliments the experience of the duo’s guitar melodies melting away worry.
As you traverse out of the blippy electronica and textured guitars of “Pure Imagination” into song three, “Summer Tide,” you’ll notice the incredibly smooth flow of the album. With continued listening, one may realize that the pace of Yutori is purposely slow, offering time to relax and to focus on the present. At times, buzzing synth leads guide you through the dense soundscapes – as if spotting fireflies in the steamy, nighttime summer air.
With more of the same steadiness and calmness all throughout, we come to “Ice Cream Dreams,” which is a prime example of Slept All Day’s intelligent use of ticking guitars and trembling vocals that pervade the album. It’s evidence that, Yutori is a very ethereal and cathartic collection of songs. It attaches itself to the bliss of floating on a crystal-clear, sunbathed lake, allowing one to pause and soak in life’s natural beauty. Ultimately, Slept All Day is soundtracking the everyday moments of your lives – whether you can follow their lead and learn to live in the moment is ultimately up to you.
Slept All Day’s Yutori is a stunningly beautiful listen, lending itself to those who are fans of Sigur Rós, Ólafur Arnalds, and Harold Budd. Take time to chill and contemplate by listening to Yutori on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Jake Sessanna