How do you summarize the works of Chris Crofton? For most, he is known as a comedian or satirist. His column for the Nashville Scene, The Advice King, is always a keen balance of humor and hard reality. His podcast, Cold Brew Got Me Like, is a litany of insights on politics and recent events served with a wry yet insightful take on the topic. His stand-up act is always hilarious and revealing in its honesty.

With his new album, I’m Your Man, Crofton is not channeling comedy in the slightest but continuing to embrace honesty, personal insights and hard realities. In a word, it is extremely authentic.

This excerpt from the bio sums up the motivation, the impetus and the creation process quite nicely:

With his new album, I’m Your Man, Nashville’s Chris Crofton has a simple goal – “I want to connect with listeners on a deep level, in plain language, just like the singer-songwriters of the 1970s connected with me.”

Artists like Gordon Lightfoot and Carly Simon.

“She [Simon] wrote about the most personal, often devastating things, and made her confessions catchy, and beautiful,” Crofton said.

But the writing process for this, his second solo album, was different than in the past. “I used to wait for songs to ‘arrive’ — to land on me from the heavens. But, unbeknownst to me, an anti-seizure drug that I had been taking for 20 years was literally making it harder for me to think.”
The drug caused “brain fog” – and bone loss that resulted in a broken hip in 2018. He was able to safely wean himself off the medication (with a doctor’s help) in the early months of 2019 and, thankfully, didn’t need to find a replacement.

From the difficult withdrawal, he emerged markedly energized. “I was suddenly able to write at any time of the day, not just after my first cup of coffee, so I decided to write an album.”
Musically, I’m Your Man delivers the catchy, honest acoustically-driven songs that Crofton has always written. The difference is, the songs on I’m Your Man are almost all anthems. Epic meditations on big subjects: aging, recovery, depression, medication …John Denver – and, of course, his favorite topic – loneliness. Its eleven tracks are bolstered by an all-star cast of supporting musicians, including Jim James, Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket), Jenny O, Kevin Ratterman (Yim Yames, Twin Limb), Leslie Stevens and Alex McMahon (The Handsome Family).

If the goal for I’m Your Man was to deliver an album of highly personal insights, through catchy, memorable and downright beautiful songs then I think it’s safe to say it accomplished everything it set out to do (no small feat!).

Speaking personally: the songs on I’m Your Man are heartbreaking. You’ve hopefully already heard the singles and watched their videos – “Vitamin D“, “Side Effects” and “I Don’t Believe” are all excellent examples of the tone of the album but it really must be taken as a whole. I hope you will spend some time with it.

The album is available on limited edition vinyl, digital download in the YK Shop, Ampwall and Bandcamp, and streaming on Apple Music, Spotify and everywhere else. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

A little science history: “The Great Oxidation Event” is a natural event caused by the development of early unicellular life releasing a mass amount of oxygen into the atmosphere, killing everything. A massive cataclysmic event but one that results in life as we know it.

In an ode to this destructive event, sugar sk*-*lls and Coupler have created a three part composition traversing the stages of life, destruction and recreation. All together, the movements are entitled The Great Oxidation Event, due out on Aug 20th. More details on that next week but in the meantime…

Today, “Part I” of those movements is available everywhere. It takes us up to the precipice of the massive event itself. Early cellular life is beginning but the journey is tightly wound and anxious.

Ben Marcantel created this gorgeous video that blends the natural world with the highly technical – video processed through code with results that are both unnatural and entirely Earth bound. I suggest you lock in.

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Collaborations between sugar sk*-*lls and Coupler go back as far as 2000; when the two discovered a Venn diagram of overlapping interest in generative, progressive, electronic music. The Great Oxidation Event exemplifies this decades long friendship with a seamless melding of their contributions.

The EP will be released August 20th – you can pick it up in the YK Shop, Ampwall and Bandcamp. Expect more from these two throughout the remainder of 2025.

Very happy to announce that yk Records will be releasing the next full-length album from Jessica Breanne. Her 2021 album, Rosebud Queen, was in regular rotation over here at YK HQ, largely due to Breanne’s distinctive and mesmerizing voice. The forthcoming album continues to entrance and evolves her musical styles even further. There’s plenty of bias here but you’re going to enjoy it.

The first single drops Aug 21st – and Breanne will be playing that same night at Vinyl Tap at 7pm to celebrate (along with Annie Williams and Holden Bittner).

The exact details of the full release are under wraps for a little bit but in the meantime we suggest you follow Jessica on Instagram at @jessieeebreanne, listen to Rosebud Queen and be sure to join the yk Mailing List to not miss out on notifications!

The new release from Alex Caress simply can’t be enjoyed without the proper context. All records benefit from a little background information but i’m always here (2005) requires an especially critical bit of history. For the best version of the story, enjoy this WPLN report – “Worldwide hunt for long lost song ends in Nashville.“

(more…)

Today Chris Crofton releases the song and video for “I Don’t Believe” – the lead track from his forthcoming album I’m Your Man and the last single before the album is properly released. Here’s Crofton about the release:

Beautiful video directed, shot and edited by my partner-in-crime Alex R. Johnson. So grateful. 

The melody for “I Don’t Believe” was improvised at the mic, the lyrics scribbled on the back of an envelope. It’s my favorite vocal performance on the record. It’s a song about the ephemeral nature of love, and how, sometimes, while you’re over-examining it, you might miss it.

Production, guitar and drums by Kevin Ratterman. Bass by Dave Dawson. Keys by Bo Koster. In the middle, that’s Jenny O‘s stunning voice, singing a melody she wrote. 

You can watch the video here and pre-order the album in the YK Shop, on Ampwall or on Bandcamp. You can also stream the song everywhere.

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On a personal note, this is a favorite from the album. You haven’t heard I’m Your Man yet but the entire record is filled with poignant, insightful and vulnerable songs. Crofton is a sharp songwriter by every stretch of the imagination but there’s a particular heaviness to “I Don’t Believe” that’s really hits home. The song is lonesome, melancholy, wistful, regretful… laden with real emotion.

You probably get a lot of emails every day telling you about some new music to listen to. I hope you’ll consider this one seriously. It’s heavy but it’s a must hear.

Cody Uhler is an incredibly gifted musician, exploring sonic spaces that may sound downright intimidating to explore at first blush. For instance, with his new EP Gluggle Jug, he was inspired by minimal house, microbeats and experimental synth – phrases and genres that may not have the instant appeal of something like “indie rock” depending on the listener. However, listening to the tracks on the record – they are instantly memorable and downright dance-y.

“I became fascinated by the squelchy, glitchy, short sounds and the repetitive, slowly changing patterns of minimal house,” Uhler explains. “To me, it’s very dimensional and spatial—like you can feel it in your jaw and mouth.”

The tracks on Gluggle Jug begin deceptively simple with rhythmic and chordal ideas that evolve through looping, sequencing, and live experimentation. Analog synths, drum machines, effects boxes, and custom software “instruments” developed for 2021’s Darbo’s Island push the songs into a flurry of layers – rewarding multiple listens. The music bubbles and flows like its namesake: it’s playful, unique and deeply immersive.

As for that title – Gluggle Jug – it was inspired not by the sound of a gluggle jug itself – “I’ve never heard what they sound like haha,” says Uhler – but by the whimsical name and its accidental resonance with the EP’s gurgling, elastic sonics.

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The EP is available everywhere – the YK Shop, Ampwall, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Soundcloud, etc! Go get this into your ears.

Big thanks to the New Revolutions show on Radio KCM; Knoxville’s Community Radio station for not only interviewing Matt Pelham of Matt & The Watt Gives but putting that full interview online for all to enjoy!

Many great insights about how the songwriting and recording process, the release show and what to look forward to in the next phase of the band!

The latest Talking With Hands EP, The Coin, was inspired by the despair of the political landscape in 2025. Specifically, the re-election of Donald Trump sparked a fire of inspiration for songwriter Matthew Smith.

“The urgency in these songs comes from America’s decision to re-elect a profoundly unqualified person as president. I see a lot of comedy and satire in the creative space addressing this, but I don’t see enough anger, especially in music. Everyone is understandably exhausted, but I’m personally not finding laughter to be a satisfying response right now. ” – Matthew Smith

One particularly scathing track on the new EP is “Die, Die, Die” – a tense and scathing track filled with heavier guitar tones. Lyrically, it navigates the thin line between protest and personal anguish. “I’m not calling for violence, but I do find myself praying that certain profoundly unqualified persons would die. That’s the emotional truth this record wrestles with.”

The video, directed by Asher Rogers, is a combination of tension, discomfort and a strange beauty – a perfect pairing for the song itself.

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Smith’s takes note that this song is dedicated to his grandmother, who had her own thoughts on the DJT matter:

“I’m dedicating this song to my Grandmother, who passed away during Trump’s first term. I’m embarrassed that one of the last things she experienced on this Earth was Trump’s 2016 inauguration, but her measured response to it sticks with me. She simply said gravely and with anticipation “maybe he’ll drop dead.” RIP Granny.” -Matthew Smith

Watch the video in fullscreen glory over on Youtube and listen to The Coin everywhere – Bandcamp, Ampwall, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, et al.

Talking with Hands has continously explored new genres and styles throughout the entirety of their body of work. The World and Ourselves is different from Pastiche, is different from Organic Machine, etc. etc. There’s always a sonic throughline but the explorations are distinct.

Today, The Coin begins yet another new era of sonic exploration. This one inspired by a rising tide of political despair. The songs are tightly wound, sharp and scathing.

“Had the 2024 election gone a different way, I might not have felt the same urgency, but I couldn’t ignore it. I needed to say something now.” -Matthew Smith, aka Talking with Hands.

Where the previous album, Organic Machine, was a lush and layered ponderance on the future of creativity and how humanity and technology intersect, The Coin leans into heavier guitar tones, despondent reflections of the tense landscape and a more aggressive performance style. Lyrically, it navigates the thin line between protest and personal anguish. “I’m not calling for violence, but I do find myself praying that certain profoundly unqualified persons would die. That’s the emotional truth this record wrestles with.”

The Coin stands as Talking With Hands’ most direct and politically engaged work to date. Hopefully it serves as a companion in your own frustrations and an inspiration to take action.

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Listen everywhere – Bandcamp, Ampwall, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, et al.

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Along with The Coin EP, Talking with Hands has teamed up with long time collaborator Asher Rogers to create a fast paced, tense and -yet- beautiful video for “Die, Die, Die.” Read more on that here.

Very happy to announce the arrival of two very special albums from the YK Catalog that never made their way on to vinyl.. until now!

First up, Dave Paulson‘s 2018 concept album inspired by the movie Tommy Boy – Sandusky, Ohio. It just so happens that 2025 is the 30-year anniversary of that Chris Farley / David Spade road comedy and it would be remiss of us not to celebrate it properly!

So, we pressed 100 copies of the record to Blue Jay vinyl. These are available for preorder starting today over in the YK Shop.

That’s not the only good news for Sandusky, Ohio today! We’re also happy to share that Dave Paulson will be playing the songs of the record LIVE at the first ever Tommy Boy Fest in… Sandusky, Ohio! It’s taking place August 7th – 9th and there’s plenty of great activities happening all weekend that you can read about at TommyBoyFest.com.

Time for a road trip up to Sandusky, Ohio while listening exclusively to Sandusky, Ohio? I think so!

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Next up, The Prudish Few’s 2020 album The Eagle Has Left the Building. If you’ve never heard this record, you’re doing yourself a keen disservice. Correct that ASAP. As you listen, it may occur to you that this is the kind of record that would sound great on vinyl.

We agree. So we’re doing an ultra short run of records starting today! You can order your very own copy right now. We only made 20 of these! This bumps the cost up a little bit but they are ultra rare and sound fantastic.

As good fortune would have it, Todd Kemp he’s been working on some new music. Let’s hope this means he’ll share sometime in the future!

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While I have you here, here’s two more physical manifestations of YK releases that you should probably consider bringing into your life.