Ken Yates - “The Future Is Dead”

SXSW 2024 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, Sam Fender

Delicate indie folk with a foot in alt-country tones, Ken Yates’ fourth record Cerulean is pretty and sad, sweet and quiet. Accompanied by gentle guitar picking and the lightest percussion, Yates embraces space as much as melody. It’s contemplative in its simplicity, classic folk and pop songwriting underpinning the melancholy mood of Cerulean. A bonus is Yates’ openness to vocal collaborators on Cerulean, joining in harmony with Kathleen Edwards, Stephanie Lambring, Katie, Pruitt, and more across the accessibly soft record. We’re a couple years out from his last proper release, so expect SXSW 2024 to preview some of what’s next in addition to Yates’ already robust catalog. (Kevin McStravick)