Premiere: Sook-Yin Lee - “Locked Boy (SY Lee Mix)”
A few months ago, Canadian indie royalty, Sook-Yin Lee, released 72RHR. Because Cups N Cakes runs at a slower pace, it took us until a few weeks ago to finally review this wonderful record, here’s what Matt Carr had to say”
“Sook-Yin Lee’s 72RHR is a work of gorgeous, pure joy! These songs are intimate and cinematic in scope, which comes at no surprise considering they’re written, performed, and produced entirely by Lee herself. This record locks into a steady, blissful 72 BPM, matching your resting heart rate to soothe your soul in a wild world. The unchanging tempo becomes something of a meditation, to great effect! Lead single "Locked Boy" pairs triumphant vocals with a tense, pulsating arrangement of abrasively distorted synths and burst-of-sunshine guitar explosions. Mixed by Steve Chahley and mastered by Kevin McPhee, it balances chaos with total harmony.”
Today we go from being way behind with our coverage to being waaaay out in front!
Cups N Cakes is extremely excited to premiere a brand new mix of the lead single from 72RHR. This mix was done by Lee herself (under the moniker SY Lee) and marks the first time she’s done a remix. Here’s what she had to say about the process:
“This is my first ever mix of a song, "Locked Boy" from my album 72RHR. As a multimedia artist, among all the forms of expression, music to me is pure emotion, while dancing is pure joy. It was an exciting process to deconstruct the original song and present it in a whole new way. I love dancing, and catharsis, while moving on the dance floor, arms outstretched to the sky, or ceiling! The aim of this mix was to stop thinking and lose myself in music, remixing "Locked Boy" with a propulsive beat, and words used sparingly, like emotional acupuncture."
Along with this new track, some rumours about a mysterious collaboration album are starting to get whispered. That’s all we know. We are unsure if this is a Sook-Yin Lee release or if it’s some other artist’s release on which she appears or if it’s just some sort of compilation. All we know is that it drops on Friday September 4th via Hand Drawn Dracula. The following week, a free album listening party and launch in Toronto at The Little Jerry will take place on Thursday September 10th.
All this kicks off a busy fall for Lee as she’ll be making appearances at Edmonton’s Purple City Festival, POP Montreal, and Ottawa’s Pique in September followed by a run of West Coast shows in October. Enjoy the visualizer for the SY Lee mix of "Locked Boy" below and if you haven't secured Lee's fantastic new album, do so now by purchasing via Bandcamp (a heads up, there's only 5 LPs remaining!).
