The synths brighten. They are a wake up call. ‘Pocky Boy’ is woozy. There is a voice and that voice has a voice in her head. It is Yeule.
There isn’t much information available about Singaporean artist Yeule – real name Nat ćmiel. Her Facebook page will tell you that the project is based in Singapore and London – two cities on islands – we know Singapore is an island, city, and a nation – on the opposite ends of the combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia. The about section of her .jp website – meaning it is based in Japan – says “loving, hollow”. Her label, Zoom Lens, is based in Los Angeles.
Her music exists over distances, both near and far. It is commanding, yet light in touch. She sees the digital landscape that connects them, and builds art that fills the spaces.
“Pocky Boy” layers air creating a weightless density. Movement is constant and yet it feels effortless. There is a soft sweetness followed by a snap then a longing.
The labels explains Yeule’s intention with “Pocky Boy” is to “address subculture phenomena and the media’s warped intentions of consumer goods…for example, the kawaii / feminine / cute taste associated with the culture of Pocky,” and it hints at “the utopian non-binary projection of the self.”
Yeule explains with a story: “There are six boys on the bleachers sharing a box of pocky. They are watching me walk by and I hear their crunching intensify. They bite hard into the pocky, some using their teeth to scrape the chocolate off the long, crunchy biscuit. They say nothing but continue to eat from the tiny little box when two of them accidentally touches hands while reaching into it. They look at each other… sweating.”
“Pocky Boy” is about connection, no matter the distance. The energy that can fill our hollowness – outside of taught ideals. The song connects forces – electronic and magnetic. Untouched spaces are penetrated and what once was two continents or an ocean between is now touching. For a moment there are nerves, then we forget, remember the acknowledged spaces, ignoring the connection.
Yeule is able to connect these spaces on “Pocky Boy”, even if it is only for a smidge over four minutes. Sometimes all we need is to feel the energy of connection to remind us that existence has its own reason for being.
HURRY – LISTEN – YEULE