The slow burn has paid off.
After a decade of honing his craft and organically building a loyal following, Canadian songwriter Ken Yates has arrived at Total Cinema with clarity, confidence, and a creative spark that’s hard to miss.
Where 2022’s Cerulean marked a turning point—Yates' first true sense of sonic identity—Total Cinema widens the frame. The new record is more expansive in every way, capturing an artist who’s not only found his groove (literal) but is now pushing it forward with purpose.
Yates recently sat down with us to discuss his slow burn of a career to date and the way his last two albums have brought him to new creative levels.
Analogue: You mentioned your recent growth. How have you been noticing that?
Ken Yates: Honestly, the growth I've experienced has been a slow, organic build. It sort of started with my last couple of albums, especially Cerulean. I really started to notice this word-of-mouth thing happening, and that’s been great. It’s tough to reach people’s ears these days, so seeing this kind of growth is exciting. I’ve been seeing the most growth with this album. If the algorithm is also working in my favor, that's great, but at the end of the day, it’s really just been this slow build. People are connecting to it, and that’s the most rewarding part for me.
Analogue: Do you feel ready for that kind of growth with your new album, Total Cinema?
Ken Yates: Yeah, I mean my career has always been a slow burn. It’s just the way things have gone for me. I’m happy with that too. I’m happy to see people connecting with my music organically, and hopefully, with this next record, I can continue to build on that.
When I made Cerulean, I really felt like I found my sound for the first time. It felt like the first album that was everything I wanted to make from start to finish. I saw that connection with a younger audience—college students, for example, were sharing it in their dorm rooms. That record definitely changed things for me. Now with Total Cinema, it feels like I’m continuing to build on that, so I’m hoping to see that kind of progression.
"I think it’s been a slow process for me. Some people figure out their sound early on, but for me, it just took a while."
Analogue: You said you hadn’t found your sound until Cerulean. Looking back, did you ever feel something was missing before then?
Ken Yates: I don’t know if I felt something was missing. I think every record feels like the one in the moment, right? When you're creating, you think that this is it. But, yeah, I was definitely still figuring things out in my early years.
My first few records, I didn’t really know how to make them the way I wanted. I relied a lot on producers to guide me. I would bring in songs I’d written on acoustic guitar, but I had no idea about arrangements or how I wanted things to sound sonically or stylistically. I was really dependent on the people I was working with.
With Cerulean and Total Cinema, I came into the process with more fleshed-out demos and a clearer idea of what I wanted. I had a stylistic reference in mind. I think it’s been a slow process for me. Some people figure out their sound early on, but for me, it just took a while. It’s been about experience and learning over the years.
Analogue: What was the discovery like on Total Cinema? Did you have one like you did with Cerulean?
Ken Yates: With Cerulean, it was about combining two things I really care about in my music: lyrics and groove. I wanted the music to have that rhythmic, groovy quality, but also have strong, meaningful lyrics. It was the first record where I felt like I had successfully brought those elements together. But thematically, Cerulean had a certain mood throughout—one consistent feeling.
With Total Cinema, I wanted it to be more dynamic. We pushed the tempo on a lot of songs and experimented with different instrumentation. It’s just a more diverse record. The songs are faster, more upbeat, and I think that’s reflected in the whole album’s feel. I wanted to make sure that Total Cinema felt like a natural evolution from Cerulean, but more uplifting and with more tempo.
I noticed the difference when I was performing songs live, especially solo, because Cerulean had a lot of darker, moodier songs. The new album definitely has a more upbeat vibe.
Analogue: Was there any fear in pushing those boundaries with the new sound?
Ken Yates: Yeah, I mean a little bit. Some of the songs definitely pushed more into the indie pop territory. I’ve shared a few of those songs with people who make pop music, and they didn’t think they were pop music at all, so I guess I’m just in my own head about it. When you push things stylistically, you’re definitely second-guessing yourself. But that’s natural. I think it’s a good problem to have because it means I’m challenging myself and trying to push the boundaries of my music.
Analogue: Are you excited for the live setting?
Ken Yates: Yeah, I’m really excited about that. I haven’t had the chance to play a lot of these new songs live yet, especially with a full band. I think the live set will be a lot more dynamic with some of these faster, more up-tempo songs. I’m really looking forward to hitting the road in the fall with the band and bringing these new songs to the stage.
Analogue: What can we expect from you around the release of Total Cinema?
Ken Yates: Total Cinema comes out on June 6th, and that week I’ll be doing four co-headline shows with my friend Brian Dunn. We’ve been playing together for a long time, but it’s been almost eight years since we’ve done shows together, so these shows are going to be extra special. After that, I’ll be doing full-band shows this fall in both the U.S. and Canada.
Analogue: How large is the band gonna be?
Ken Yates: We’re mostly going to be a trio—drums, bass, and guitar. For a few shows, we might bring in a couple more players, but for the most part, it will be the trio setup.
Analogue: What are your expectations around the release?
Ken Yates: At this point, I’ve really tempered my expectations. I try not to put too much stock in numbers these days. Honestly, I’ve already won in a sense. I’m making music for a living and writing songs for a living—that’s always what I wanted to do. Any growth that happens beyond that is just a bonus.
I try not to get obsessed with streaming numbers or social media stats because that doesn’t really reflect how the songs are connecting with people. The fact that I’m still flying under the radar, but people are excited to share my music with others, is really rewarding.
With Cerulean, I had such high hopes for it to be the record that would move me to the next level. And while it did to a certain extent, it was a lot slower than I expected. It took me a while to move on from that record because I wanted it so badly. But I’ve moved out of those “desperation years,” where you’re squeezing everything so tightly, hoping something big happens.
The reality is, things are always happening, just at a slower pace than you might expect. And that’s okay. So, with this record, I’m just not holding onto it as tightly. I want to keep writing and making music. If people enjoy it, that’s great, but as long as I can keep doing this, that’s really what matters to me.
VISIT: Ken Yates
