Yeule
Yeule | |
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![]() Yeule performing in Seattle in 2023 | |
Background information | |
Also known as | Nat Ćmiel |
Born | Singapore | December 16, 1997
Genres | |
Instruments |
|
Years active | 2012–present |
Labels | Ninja Tune,[1] Bayonet,[2] Zoom Lens[3] |
Website | https://www.yeule.jp/about |
Yeule (stylised as yeule) is the musical project of Nat Ćmiel, a Singaporean songwriter and producer. Formed in 2012, they[a] incorporate elements of ambient, glitch and Asian post-pop.[3] The name is derived from a Final Fantasy character, the Paddra Nsu-Yeul.[5]
Early life and education
[edit]Nat Ćmiel was born in Singapore where they attended school.[3][6][7] They first started playing music at the age of 6 on their parents' Yamaha piano and learned classically although eventually dropped taking lessons, and wanted to explore something more challenging which led them to guitar and drums.[8] Ćmiel initially started playing waltz pieces, though they soon moved on to songs from the soundtracks of Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts.[9] They later went on to sing in a jazz band under the name Riot Diet, covering songs from Ella Fitzgerald and the Pixies.[3]
Growing up, feelings of loneliness and depression were present due in part to Ćmiel's nomadic upbringing.[6] They found solace on the internet, which would influence their later works.[10]
After graduating from high school, they applied to Central Saint Martins to study fashion communication and womenswear.[3] Ćmiel graduated from Central Saint Martins in London with a degree in Fine Arts in 2020.[11]
Musical timeline
[edit]Ćmiel's first release under the Yeule title was their self-titled EP on March 3, 2014.[5] On December 11, 2016, Ćmiel released their second EP, Pathos, which was dedicated to David Singh.[12] Ćmiel followed up with the OST to interactive simulator game Lost Memories Dot Net, which was released on July 17, 2017.[13]
On September 27, 2017, Ćmiel released their third EP, Coma.[14] With regard to the writing, they said that "I wrote this album to commemorate the people I'd lost."[14] The EP received a positive reception with Duncan Cooper of The Fader describing it as "dream-pop perfection".[15] Ćmiel signed to Bayonet Records on July 17, 2019.[6]
On October 25, 2019, Ćmiel released their debut studio album Serotonin II. On the process of creating the album they said that "Writing the record, I was dreadful. I didn't ask for much, I don't need to be happy. I just wanted to be content."[10] The album received a positive critical reception with Jude Noel of Tiny Mix Tapes giving the album 4/5 and saying that "Melancholia aside, it's Serotonin II's impeccable sound design that has kept me coming back".[16]
Ćmiel teased the release of their second album Glitch Princess via Bayonet Records with a track titled "My Name is Nat Ćmiel"—released at the end of 2020.[17] The full album was released on February 4, 2022. It was qualified as "pioneering" by Colin Lodewick from Pitchfork and featured in their 'Best New Music' section with a critical score of 8.3.[18]
In between "My Name Is Nat Ćmiel" and Glitch Princess, Ćmiel released the remix EP Serotonin X Remixes and the covers album Nuclear War Post X, the latter issued directly through their website as a limited-edition paperback art book with a download for the entire album.
Over the first weekend of May 2023, Yeule teased some images on their social media channels mentioning the date of May 10. On that date, Yeule premiered the video and released the single for their new song "Sulky Baby" and announced that they had signed to the Ninja Tune label. They told Rolling Stone, "The creative trajectory is shapeshifting, and Ninja Tune was the most versatile with their views on artistic direction as most of my creative pitches often tend to be fringe in conceptual aspects. I admire the team's work ethic and tastes, and they've also worked with other creatives I know and love to this day, it feels nice to be with them!"[19] "Sulky Baby" was included on their third album, softscars, which was released on September 22, 2023 to critical acclaim.
Music style and influences
[edit]Ćmiel's musical influences draws inspiration from 90's and 00's alternative acts by the likes of My Chemical Romance, Avril Lavigne, Hole, Radiohead, The Pixies and Smashing Pumpkins. Their work combines the rebellious tones of emo nostalgia with avant-pop cyber experimentation. Some of their favorite albums are My Chemical Romance's Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, Avril Lavigne's Let Go and Under My Skin; and Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and Siamese Dream.[20][21][22][23]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]- Serotonin II (2019)
- Nuclear War Post X (2021)
- Glitch Princess (2022)
- Softscars (2023)
Soundtrack
[edit]- Lost Memories Dot Net (2017)
- Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl (From "I Saw The TV Glow") (2024)
Extended play
[edit]- Yeule (2014)
- Pathos (2016)
- Coma (2017)
- Serotonin X Remixes (2021)
Singles
[edit]Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Eva (Demo)" | 2018 | Non-album single |
"Pocky Boy" | 2019 | Serotonin II |
"Pretty Bones" | ||
"Pixel Affection" | ||
"Poison Arrow" | ||
"My Name Is Nat Ćmiel" | 2020 | Glitch Princess |
"The Things They Did for Me Out of Love | 2021 | |
"Don't Be So Hard on Your Own Beauty" | ||
"Friendly Machine" | ||
"Too Dead Inside" | 2022 | |
"sulky baby" | 2023 | softscars |
"dazies" | ||
"fish in the pool" | ||
"ghosts" | ||
"inferno" | ||
"softscars" |
Collaborations
[edit]- Urbangarde – "Akuma des Akum" (yeule Remix) (2021)
- Car Seat Headrest – "Deadlines" (yeule Remix) (2021)
- Tohji ft. yeule – "shell" (2022)
- Lucinda Chua ft. yeule – "Something Other Than Years" (2023)
- Mura Masa ft. yeule – "We Are Making Out" (2024)
References
[edit]- ^ "Yeule on Ninja Tune". Ninja Tune. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ "Yeule". Bandcamp. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "yeule is the singapore producer crafting a dark post-pop dream world". i-d.vice. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ Ćmiel, Nat. "Scarry Stories * A Glimpse into yeule's Universe" (Interview). Interviewed by Hannah Rose Prendergast. Le Mile.
- ^ a b "Introducing: The dreamy, yearning sounds of Yeule". bandwagon.asia. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ a b c "Yeule Announces Signing to Bayonet Records". totalntertainment. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ "Yeule | Metal Magazine". metalmagazine.eu. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ^ "YEULE TAKES ON REALITY, SONGWRITING, AND AI RELATIONSHIPS". the-radical. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ "Ghosts, Glitches and Mesmerising Soundtracks: An Interview with Yeule". 21 November 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Cyber-pop artist yeule is bridging the void between digital and IRL". dazeddigital. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ "Ones to Watch: Yeule". Milk. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ "pathos". Bandcamp. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ "Lost Memories Dot Not". ninasays. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ a b "coma". Bandcamp. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ "Yeule's Coma EP is dream-pop perfection". thefader. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ "yeule". tinymixtapes. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ "Yeule teases second album with new song 'My Name Is Nat Ćmiel'". NME. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Glitch Princess". pitchfork. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ^ "Yeule shares new single 'Sulky Baby' and announces new deal with Ninja Tune". Rolling Stone (UK). 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ Zhang, Cat (11 September 2023). "Logging Off and Rocking Out With yeule, Pop's Internet Explorer". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
Logging Off and Rocking Out With yeule, Pop's Internet Explorer
- ^ Jamieson, Sarah (25 September 2023). "UNDER THE SKIN: YEULE". DIY. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
We have so many references from the '90s and '00s, like Radiohead, My Chemical Romance… Honestly, Gerard Way changed my fucking life," they enthuse giddily. "I was nine years old when I found 'Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge' and did not understand what that was all about until later on, but the emotional lyricism and the musical aspect of it punched me when I was a kid. "Then we were listening to a lot of Avril Lavigne, the stuff that we grew up on with our iPods. Like, 'Oh we should totally do some Pixies shit, or Smashing Pumpkins!' We were listening to all this music that's very sentimental to us, because we're '90s kids.
- ^ Raza-Sheik, Zoya (6 October 2023). "Entering yeule's rockstar cyber dimension". Gay Times. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
To capture this, the singer trawled through their old listening habits: Avril Lavigne, Smashing Pumpkins, and Hole. "I was listening to so much of what I enjoyed when I was a teenager because it made me feel that age again – that's why I fucking vibed with you! I'm a big fan of Gerard Way. He is so pivotal to my life," they say animatedly. "I don't think I don't think anyone realises how much I love My Chemical Romance or Avril Lavigne. C'mon, 'Sulky Baby' literally sounds like 'Complicated'.
- ^ Farrel, Margaret (19 September 2023). "Album Of The Week: yeule softscars". Stereogum. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
On softscars, they're combining their human experience with their cyber identity, drawing from childhood influences like Avril Lavigne, My Chemical Romance, and the Smashing Pumpkins.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Yeule is non-binary and accepts she/her and they/them pronouns.[4] For consistency, this article uses the latter.