At first glance, it would seem that everyone in folk music wants to be known for some highbrow concept right now, and in this sense, you could say that the debut single from Yardan, “Buzzin’ Fly,” is no different. There’s definitely nothing conventional about this Tim Buckley cover; from the indulgent, elaborate arrangement of the instrumentation to the overwhelming sense of pop melodicism guiding the verses from Yardan’s lips to the echo of the mandolin strings playing in the background, it’s not what I would expect out of this material from a standard artist – but that’s where this singer/songwriter is different.
BANDCAMP: yardan.bandcamp.com/releases
He’s hardly playing to the standard in this performance contrarily, I would have to say that he’s going out of his way to make his one of the more romantically atmospheric tones in folk-pop currently making waves on either side of the Atlantic, and if you’re as big into the new revival of Americana that we’re starting to hear more and more about in 2022, you’re going to find “Buzzin’ Fly” to be quite the delightful listen no matter what angle you’re breaking it down from.
One of the best and most obvious positive features to this single is Yardan himself, being that he comes into the studio with zero intentions of showboating and sticks with a rather humble attitude for the duration of the song. Buckley’s energy is allowed to live on through this performance not because of how the players and presenting the material, but because of how they aren’t – as in you will find almost none of the hipster-esque componentry that has become the status quo for a lot of artists trying to cover anything from the Buckley discography.
Yardan’s lack of hesitance is another contributor to the brooding undertow of the music, and even though he’s a rookie you would never be able to tell as much just from listening to his confident execution in this performance. Americana doesn’t feel like the trending aesthetic that it has been in indie circles all year long in this single, but instead an influence through which we’re able to better understand the storytelling behind “Buzzin’ Fly.”
Buzzin’ Fly
Listen to Buzzin’ Fly on Spotify. Yardan · Single · 2022 · 1 songs.
Although it might be true that we’re entering a new folk-rock renaissance akin to what was experienced in America around the time of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s in 2022, it’s not going to be led by the major label artists too concerned with cosmetics to really produce something heartfelt.
The likes of Yardan have control over what happens to this movement next, and in “Buzzin’ Fly,” a cover song of all things, we get a pretty strong idea about what he wants to be known for – if anything outside of melodic songcraft in general. It’s an impeccable debut from an impressively talented artist I want to get to know more of soon, and from everything that I can tell in the construction of this song, it’s just a preview of what Yardan is going to be turning in on the regular from here on out.
Clay Burton