‘Hometown’ takes you back in time. To when you first met your best friends in high school. To leaving your hometown for university. To leaving your childhood friends for meeting new people, desperately trying to find that same friendship, driven by nostalgia.

Hometown (Single Edit) - YVI

Listen to YVI's unreleased debutalbum 'A Few Words Of Comfort'. The album is scheduled to be released in April 2019. First single to be released on June 8th 2018(Hometown). Album for sale from April 13th 2018 (Physical only).

YVI was chosen as ‘the best singer-songwriter of the Northern Netherlands’ in 2015. He sets aside ego, leaving pure, disarming honesty, writing melancholic, comforting storytelling songs about insecurity, doubt and grief. His voice and songs might sound like Damien Rice and Glen Hansard, whereas the band arrangements are inspired by the sound of Bon Iver and Elbow.

A Few Words Of Comfort

8 - Lay Down

7 - Tiles Of Relief

4 - Hometown

2 - Sum Up

1 - Sophia

not over you by YVI. 

Lyrics:
I’m not in control
Not over you
Got to pay the toll
Took a different road

For years I’ve been floating by myself
Trying hard to take control but I could not
Seamlessly I agreed the tide brought you to me
Together we could ride the waves

Holding my breath
While I slowly
Faded away

I’m not in control
Not over you
Got to pay the toll
Took a different road from the path we chose

Foggy nights and foggy days
And dark grey clouds I couldn’t escape
We cannot ride a rising wave
While the circumstances cave

Exhale 
While you
Slowly faded
Away

I’m not in control
Not over you
Got to pay the toll
Took a different road 

Plug the holes, bail out the water, try not to submerge
Hold on to each other, but both got hurt
Move away, I just can’t stay, I got to get out
It’s quicksand
You can’t sail quicksand

I’m sorry

not over you

‘not over you’ is one of those songs I needed to record in order to finish it. I felt like only guitar and vocals wasn’t enough for the song, but the chorus was so cool, that I had to figure out a way to make it work. 
I hate playing with a metronome (I always lose track of it and then after a while realize: oh wait, there was supposed to be a metronome), so I decided to quickly program a drumbeat, because maybe that would feel more natural. When I finished recording the guitar and vocals, it felt like this 808 drumbeat had become part of the song. So I decided to leave it there. Then some background vocals and the song felt like it was done. Only the bridge kept feeling weird and I didn’t know how to make it work. I sang really quietly throughout the song and I kept wanting to really shout out the lyrics in the bridge. But that also sounded wrong. So I decided to sing the lyrics quietly and layer it with a take where I really shout the lyrics. The arrangement was still not finished, but getting there. Since I was really intrigued by the way Billie Eilish manipulates her voice on her then brand new album, I wanted to do the same to the backing vocals in the last chorus. After I did that, I felt like the demo was going in the right direction, but I didn’t know how to finish it. That’s where the band came in et voila: the final, single version was born. It’s really cool to first listen to the single version with band on Spotify/Bandcamp and then listen to the demo version by only me on Soundcloud.

DEMO DAY #1 | Not Over You 2.5

YVI's third single '1 2' from the EP 'control'.

Lyrics
Ghosts
Ghosts enter my head
They roar
It’s hard to see what’s right or left

Ghosts
Ghosts inside my head
They leave me blind
Lost on the road that used to guide me through my mind

Ghosts 
Ghosts inside my brain
Colour palette
Blended into grey stain

1 2 3 in
Stamp the fire out
4 5 6 out
Drain the water now
1 2 3 in
Forget the count
1 2 
Want to
Get out

Close
I want to close my eyes
So tired
But ghosts ensure that sleep will pass me by

Ghosts inside my mind
Shout them out
When peace returns the ghosts
Leave their hide

1 2 3 in
Stamp the fire out
4 5 6 out
Drain the water now
1 2 3 in
Forget the count
1 2 
1 2
Want to
Need to
Get Out

Whenever I would think about how to arrange ‘you say’, the first thing to come to mind always were strings. Unfortunately, I’m too impatient to learn how to play violin or cello. But then I figured: Let’s just record me trying to BE a string quartet.  That way I could write a score so we could record a string section in the studio later. However, when I finished recording my vocal string section, it felt like that particular sound was what the song needed. So I send the demo to Lenny en Sebas. They really liked the arrangement aswel. Cool.

So at some point during the recording process of the EP, we discussed how to record ‘you say’ and what to re-record. Then Lendert told me he thought the acoustic guitar part didn’t really speak to him. Luckily for us, we just bought a harmonium at a thrift store and we decided to see what we could do with it on the day of the recording session.

The day arrived. First things first: we had to be able to play something. I could sing the words of course, but with the guitar being put away, there was no instrument to accompany me. Since Lendert is an amazing piano player and I am not, we decided to rehearse the song with Lenny on the harmonium and me singing. I didn’t feel it. I don’t know what, but it just didn’t seem right. Maybe we had to use the acoustic guitar after all. Well, we had to place some mics anyways, so Lendert started doing that, leaving me to think about what to do next. Frustrated by the fact that this session was looking to not end very well, I started playing the harmonium and hum along. This seemed right. Since I’m really not a skilled piano player, I can only play simple stuff, if I really try my best. And I guess that simplicity resulted in a very simple, atmospherical harmonium part. Because it’s so simple, it really makes you listen to the words and the story of the song. Everyone agreed this was the way to record the song. Now I had to rehearse like crazy, because we wanted to record the song on that day.

Now the most beautiful thing about me debuting on a harmonium which I can barely play: Because I had to be so focused on playing the harmonium part right, my perfectionist mind had no headspace to think about whether I sang right. This resulted in what I think is the most honest vocal take I’ve recorded so far.  In the studio I’ve never been able to get to that weird, honest, really-close-to-your-feelings-place in my mind where I get while I write songs. And now I could. 

I walked back into the controlroom, hoping the guys liked it aswel. They were speechless. Yes, they liked it. Sebas: I think we shouldn’t add anything else to it man, this is so honest and pure. Me and my perfectionist stubborn mind had to at least also record the vocal string arrangement we created. That took about 3 hours. And it didn’t feel right after hearing it completely for the first time. So we threw away all that, except the very last, heavenly chord which seemed like the perfect ending for the song. 

Quite a story if you ask me.

DEMO DAY # 2 | You Say V1 - 24b

YVI writes melancholic, though comforting storytelling songs. YVI is a Dutch formation founded by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Diederick Brandsma. In addition to Brandsma, the band is comprised of childhood friends Lendert Andel (electric guitar/piano), Sebastiaan van Sliedregt (bass) and Sijmen Wijnja (drums). YVI conjures soul-raising alternative folk and indie rock akin to Damien Rice, Glen Hansard and Bon Iver.

YVI

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