Graham Cooney, aka Yenkee, is a mellow indie-rock musician from Cork. With the release of his second EP, Cannibal Tree, he is quickly carving a space for himself in the Irish music scene with his fresh and original sound.
The artist takes inspiration from 60s and 70s rock and transforms it into his modern lo-fi indie sound. Needless to say, this makes for an enchanting listen. Taking inspiration from Marvin Gaye, Rostam Batmanglij, and Ariel Pink, Yankee’s new EP ‘Cannibal Tree’ has a psychedelic charm to it that is highly addictive.
The opening title track has a full sound to it from a simple acoustic guitar bouncing off wavy, distorted vocals. The lyrics really tie up the opaque and dreamy vibes with obscure imagery and extensional questions.
The four-track EP flows excellently and instantly creates its own atmosphere. The final song on the EP, ‘Maybe’ closes this experience off nicely. A Flamenco guitar and rhythm is contrasted with indie-electric samples and distortions, giving a complex texture.
While George Cooney is the mastermind behind the songs, the live performance of Yenkee is comprised of a six-piece band. They play a free gig in Cork on the 20th of September and Dublin on the 5th of October in Whelans. Tickets for the Dublin show are priced at €11+ and available here.
