LISTEN / SHARE "DON'T MEAN TO WAKE YOU" FEAT. STEPHANIE LAMBRING
BUY / STREAM CERULEAN HERE
CANADA TOUR DATES BEGIN JUNE 18 // GET TICKETS HERE
ALL TOUR DATES LISTED BELOW
"It’s another lyrical vessel of yearning and emotional reckoning matched up with strummed acoustic guitar, further setting the scene for what Cerulean has in store." - FLOOD
"Cerulean is more astral than backroads, a soundscape that gives Yates room to ruminate, approaching the concert hall atmospherics of The War on Drugs, Andy Shauf, and Big Thief." - The Creek 100.9
“Yates has now asserted himself as one of Canada’s most unique folk artists with a true knack for effective songwriting.” - Canadian Beats
"An enchanting song of acceptance and resolve, Ken Yates’ “The Big One” is a soothing and stirring apocalyptic lullaby that finds refuge in the face of life’s fragility." - Atwood Magazine
"Ken has earned a strong reputation as a bona-fide composer who combines his emotionally charged storytelling with some incredible and unforgettable melodies.” - Great Dark Wonder
Today, singer-songwriter Ken Yates shares his fourth full-length album, Cerulean, where the musician emerges from the depths of despair to recognize life's imperfections and ultimately finds hope and acceptance. The captivating LP is out everywhere now, along with the sweet single "Don't Mean To Wake You" featuring Stephanie Lambring.
LISTEN / SHARE "DON'T MEAN TO WAKE YOU" FEAT. STEPHANIE LAMBRING
In addition to the new album, Yates will be touring this summer across Ontario and the U.S. Multiple dates feature artists like Jadea Kelly, Abigail Lapell, Jenny Berkel and Brian Dunne. Plus, Yates has added new dates, as he'll be supporting recent collaborator Kathleen Edwards at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario on August 9 as well as a festival slot on July 15-17 at the Home County Music and Art Festival in London, Ontario. Grab tickets to see Yates and Edwards here, and see the full Home County festival lineup and learn about entry here. Tickets to all shows this summer are available now here.
BUY / STREAM CERULEAN HERE
Cerulean meets Yates at his darkest and most vulnerable, as he transforms the pain of grief, fear and loss into an 11-track quest towards hope, light and peace. A crucial vehicle out of the depths of darkness and bitterness for Yates, Cerulean serves as a powerful reemergence filled with his signature remarkable vocal intimacy as well as a profound yet candid peek into the universal human experience.
In May 2020, Yates released his third album, Quiet Talkers, which was met with high praise from tastemakers like Atwood Magazine, who wrote the album's track, "Surviving is Easy" is "an earnest, heartfelt rendering of everyday struggle." Author and host of the popular The Minimalists Podcast, Joshua Fields Millburn said of the album, "That ebullient feeling when you stumble into something special—that’s what I felt when I happened upon this album. A quiet masterpiece—winsome, muscular songwriting, perfect for a late-night drive." Praise also has come in the form of a co-sign from fellow musician John Mayer, who said, “Want to hear a great song? I mean a REALLY great song? Ken Yates wrote a tune called “I Don’t Wanna Fall In Love” and posted a live video of it on YouTube. This song moved me when I first heard it and it still does today.”
WATCH / SHARE “HONEST LIGHT” FT CAROLINE MARIE BROOKS HERE
WATCH / SHARE “BEST OF THE BROKEN THINGS” HERE
Over the last decade, Ken Yates has solidified himself as a prolific musician, combining heartfelt lyricism, genuine authenticity and hypnotic guitar strums. After studying at the Berklee College of Music, Yates released The Backseat EP in 2011, followed by his full-length debut Twenty-Three in 2013. He won the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award in 2014 for his song "The One That Got Away" and released his second album, Huntsville, in 2016, produced by Jim Bryson. By 2017, Yates was making waves in folk with his poignant songwriting, winning the awards for Canadian Folk Music Award for both Songwriter of the Year and New Artist of the Year. Now, with a fresh perspective and renewed sense of self, Yates brings honesty, growth and profound peace to his latest work, Cerulean. Nonetheless, Cerulean feels like a hard reset on Yates’ art and artistry. Reuniting with producer Jim Bryson, the album firmly steps into indie folk and alternative territories – he cites Big Thief, Andy Shauf, and The War On Drugs as a few of his inspirations.
WATCH / SHARE “THE BIG ONE” FT. KATHLEEN EDWARDS
WATCH / SHARE “CONSOLATION PRIZE” FT. KATIE PRUITT HERE
TOUR DATES
June 8 - The Ark - Ann Arbor, MI
June 11 - Pumpstock - East Lansing, MI
June 18 - Bayfield Town Hall - Bayfield, ON w/ Jadea Kelly
June 19 - Bowie's - Smiths Falls, ON
June 20 - The Red House - Kingston, ON
June 22 - The Cameron House - Toronto, ON
June 23 - Aeolian Hall - London, ON w/ Abigail Lapell
June 25 - Mills Hardware - Hamilton, ON w/ Abigail Lapell and Jenny Berkel
July 15-17 - Home County Festival - London, ON
July 27 - Concerts On The Common - Londonderry, NH w/ Brian Dunne
August 9 - Royal Botanical Gardens - Burlington, ON supporting Kathleen Edwards
September 27 - Southgate House - Newport, KY co-bill with Stephanie Lambring
September 28 - SPACE - Evanston, IL co-bill with Stephanie Lambring
September 29 - 20 Front Street - Lake Orion, MI co-bill with Stephanie Lambring
October 1 - The Timber House - Rochester, NY co-bill with Stephanie Lambring
October 5 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA co-bill with Stephanie Lambring
October 6 - The Spire Center - Plymouth, MA co-bill with Stephanie Lambring
October 8 - Cafe 939 The Red Room - Boston, MA co-bill with Stephanie Lambring
All tickets can be found HERE
CERULEAN TRACKLIST
01. The Big One (feat. Kathleen Edwards)
02. The Future Is Dead
03. Don’t Mean To Wake You (feat. Stephanie Lambring)
04. Consolation Prize (feat. Katie Pruitt)
05. Small Doses
06. Best Of The Broken Things
07. Honest Light (feat. Caroline Marie Brooks)
08. Half Clenched Teeth
09. Good Things (feat. Liz Longley)
10. Grocery Store
11. Cerulean
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