Yves began her new chapter as a soloist earlier this year with the release of LOOP. As expected, she expressed herself through music without any boundaries and she delivered an unforgettable mini-album. And in the blink of an eye, Yves is back with her second mini-album. While LOOP established her as a solo artist, I Did explores further complex themes and feelings that Yves expresses with such ease and artistic view. While LOOP was her beginning, I Did feels like Yves’ true vulnerable identity as she re-asserts herself, and we’re here for it.
‘Viola’
‘Viola’ builds up perfectly on the sound she explored in LOOP and pushes it even further. Needless to say, if you loved LOOP, I Did will be the love of your life. Indeed, with ‘Viola,’ Yves reaffirms herself her identity. She finds empowerment, and the song also serves to empower any listener with a beautiful message and that gritty alternative pop sound. ‘Viola’ has such a special meaning of finding space to be yourself and find who you are. In the same song, Yves brings comfort and strength.
The key element of happiness to me, is serenity. ‘Viola’ captures the emotions I encountered in my journey to find inner calm. The ‘space’ in the song reflects a deep need for peace within, and while the lyrics mention a ‘stage,’ it’s about more than just the performance. My hope is that when fans listen, they’ll feel a sense of ease and comfort as if they’ve found a moment of calm within themselves.
Yves via press release
I Did
Just like with her debut, Yves delivers an experience with this second mini-album. The first b-side, ‘Hashtag,’ compliments the title track perfectly. It follows the same theme, vibe, and sound with its mix of pop, R&B, and alternative music. The song may sound groovy, but it explores the back and forth in a relationship where you feel left aside. Nonetheless, through the hardship, Yves reaffirms her power and individuality with this song. Through these b-sides, we also get even more of a glimpse into the mixture of softness, subtleness, and power in Yves‘ vocals. ‘Gone Girl’ feels like a stripped-back track. It’s a perfect song for a road trip at the end of a long day. ‘Gone Girl’ gives off the same energy as a sunset; it exemplifies the end of a bad relationship that brought a lot of pain and doubt. It feels like the ending chapter after the doubt in ‘Viola’ and ‘Hashtag,’ where she finally lets go of all the illusion of love there might have been. The vulnerability and the immaculate energy of ‘Gone Girl’ make it an instant highlight.
We don’t get only new songs in I Did, because Yves also included her single ‘Tik Tok.’ It couldn’t fit more perfectly in the mini-album. This groovy song explores the difficulties and struggles of a relationship falling apart. And it makes sense that ‘Tik Tok’ was released as a single – it has such addictive and satisfying melodies that you forget about any worry. The instrumental outro elevates the song to another level, too, and talking about instrumental outros: let’s not forget about ‘DIM.’ While other songs focus on the hardships of relationships with others, ‘DIM’ is about a relationship with oneself. It explores pains and struggles in a very vulnerable way, and the 1-minute electronic outro elevates the heaviness of the song and feels like a liberation of emotions in the most satisfactory way – a catharsis if you will. There is no better song to describe Yves‘ artistic flare and showcase how she uses music to send out her message, both in the lyrics and the instrumental.
Yves explored her identity as a soloist in LOOP, and we were already in love with it. But I Did further explores her artistry, her vocals, her sound, and the message she wants to convey with her music. Without a doubt, with every release, Yves continues to grow and become a unique and incredible artist – I Did is the perfect proof of it. And we’re ready to see even more of her vision but this time on stage, because Yves is going on tour through Europe, you can grab your tickets here.
How much are you loving ‘Viola?’ Which track is your favorite out of I DID? Be sure to let us know by tweeting us at @thehoneypop or visiting us on Facebook and Instagram.
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