YKT Diablo – “Tears”

Currently made up of YKT Ghost, YKT Sins and YKT Diablo, YKT have been a family since they were kids. Steadily gaining traction and raking in numbers, their movement means to bring real music onto the scene, along with their own sound. The single, “Tears”, is an honestly expressed creative vision from YKT Diablo that shows true emotion is alright to be embraced.

Immediately reminiscent of the artist’s past work, the song breathes itself into existence gently with a soulful vocal sample, before the thumping percussion and a shimmering guitar motif launch the momentum. The lyrics are emotional and cut straight to the core with direct messages. By avoiding cryptic poetics, YKT Diablo is able to paint a picture with ease. His delivery is like sunlight breaking through dark clouds.

The warm, bouncy atmosphere intertwines under fluttering hi-hats and prominent vocals. The low end fills out, accompanied by meshed layers of backing vocal samples. YKT Diablo’s voice stays well in front of the sonic atmosphere, weaving across the warmth of the song as a whole. The ambience of the guitar, transitions slowly into the sparkly but reflective soundscape.

“Tears” continues to separate YKT Diablo from the stylistically amateurish dark atmospheres cultivated by some of his contemporaries, while still preserving the unique sounds his genre peers have pioneered. Much of the track feels representative of the contrasting metamorphosis, between life’s moments of darkness and light, but is never overwhelmingly melodramatic.

As YKT Diablo emerges from “Tears”, his sound is more evolved and expressive as well. He brings innovation and beauty without disrupting the emotional authenticity of the project as a whole. With this level of performance and production, his evolution into the next level of artistic expression is inevitable.

On “Tears”, it is clear that YKT Diablo was not aiming to craft a track which exceeded the boundaries of his past work. But instead, take it to a higher place. YKT Diablo has successfully combined the best elements of his entire discography into one cohesive track.

This soundscape and this style of vocal delivery may be extremely familiar to his hardcore fans by this point in time, but its execution on “Tears” results in a song which captures YKT Diablo at his absolute best. The under three minute song, is thus a sincere, unexpected yet familiar release from an artist attuned to the fascinating, varied, and distinctly postmodern hip-hop and rap universe.

The honest and outspoken themes enrich the emotions at the forefront of YKT Diablo’s music, all conceived within the imaginative spaces he constructs. On “Tears” he once again explores an emotional composition that soon becomes addictive. It successfully fleshes out an accessible aesthetic, hitting peaks of genuine beauty, while also being able to expose YKT Diablo as a thoughtful, skillful and ambitious performer.