Patreon supporters received access to this review on October 7th, 2024.

It’s officially Day 3 of Deviants Week! Be sure to check out all the other content I’ve published about the North Carolina collective, including the free episode of my Patreon-exclusive video series, Listening Log. Today we have the latest single from Yahliq, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite discoveries of the year in terms of new artists. I was blown away by his The Rising EP, and this newest song, which was released on March 22nd this year, just bolstered my appreciation for his music.

This song is beautiful. Part of me wants to say it’s Yahliq’s best song, but that’s a tough call when he’s got tracks like Face the Facts out there. This is probably top 5 though. Maybe top 3. The production from Scizzie is excellent. It’s got kind of a tense vibe, but not necessarily one that evokes stress. If anything it feels therapeutic. At first it reminded me of the Dire, Dire Docks song from Super Mario 64, so the title is very fitting. The lyrical content matches the tone of the instrumental really well too.

Doors shut, walls closin' in
All that I held close within
Cold nights, and I close within
All I had was my soul and pen
Every home had roaches in
Birthday money stole again
Game console stole again
Bills paid with no ownership
Young kid, single mother household, Papa not comin' home again
Couldn't trust my own mama, and you wonder how my heart got froze again
Cry to God, it take me outta trenches, place I never wanna call home again
Pray that this little light of mine shine bright 'til it's called home again

Yahliq comes off as someone who is very in touch with his emotions and isn’t afraid to express vulnerability. In fact, I know he’s not afraid to be vulnerable because he had a very emotionally resonant performance at the Fight for NC show where I first heard his music. I feel like I should’ve known what type of time this dude was on as soon as I met him to be honest. Something was a little different about him when we spoke. The way he was looking at me felt like I was having my soul stared into, and to be honest it was lowkey a bit intimidating. I was sold by the end of the show though, and I was elated to discover that his actual recorded music is just as fantastic as his performance. Anyway, this song is amazing. I love how he’s going in with no percussion. This feels like a deep cut on an album in the best way possible. I love it, and to be honest this might actually be the best song I end up writing about this week. Check this song out and let me know what you think of it in the comment section below. I think it’s incredible, and I’m really excited to see what Yahliq releases next because I’m a big fan now.