Five albums in, Ken Yates thinks he may have nailed it with Total Cinema (Tone Tree)—and we tend to agree. With help from award-winning producer Dan Ledwell, the London, Ontario, singer/songwriter has finally assembled the fully operational musical vehicle for delivering his subtle, meticulously observed insights into the post-millennial human condition. He came awfully close with 2023’s Cerulean, an album that connected with American critics, if not a ton of listeners. But while that LP tailed off into formula toward the end, Total Cinema never loses its creative momentum, thanks to a surplus of memorable melodies that often hinge on Yates’ inventive guitar leads.
Yates’ boyish delivery has something in common with Elliott Smith’s, in the way it makes vulnerability feel so approachable—even charismatic. As with Cerulean, lead vocals are often doubled on Total Cinema, which adds another dynamic to the album’s living, breathing bed of sound.
A few days after wrapping up an intimate pre-release mini tour with longtime friend (and Fantastic Cat member) Brian Dunne, Yates chatted with MAGNET’s Hobart Rowland.
Let’s start with the lead quote in your latest bio: “I feel like there are songs on this record that I had to live my whole life so far to write.” That’s quite a statement.
I think a lot of my early albums were written from the point of view of an observer. I hadn’t had a lot of life experience to derive inspiration from, so I wrote a lot about other people and events. With Total Cinema, I felt like I had this depth of new experiences to draw inspiration from. From grief and cynicism, to love and gratitude, there was a clarity to writing these songs I’ve never had before. I think that comes from experiencing and feeling things my younger self wouldn’t have been able to articulate.
You’ve also said that Total Cinema is the exact album you wanted to make. How was that possible this time around?
With my past records, I was just still a little green and didn’t have the confidence and clarity to know how I really wanted to sound. I don’t think I discovered my “sound” until Cerulean. With that album, producer Jim Bryson and I stumbled into a sonic style that felt authentic for the first time. With Total Cinema, I knew how I wanted to expand on that. I wanted to take what was working on Cerulean but create a more dynamic album, pushing the tempo and volume a bit while still maintaining a steady pulse to weave the songs together. If Cerulean is one shade of blue, I wanted Total Cinema to be many different colors.
What has Cerulean’s critical success meant to you?
A lot. It was a pandemic record that initially had a quiet release. But over time, people started discovering and sharing it around. It felt like a real indie release, with most people finding it through word of mouth. And again, it felt like the first time I found my authentic voice, so it’s fitting that I now consider it my breakthrough record. It’s also a very personal record, so it means a lot to see people connecting with it in different ways.
Would you talk a bit about your work with Dan Ledwell on the new album?
I wanted to work with Dan after he’d mixed a few songs from previous albums. I’d always loved his mixing style. His mixes always sounded expensive, for lack of better word. We’re also good friends, so I liked the idea of hanging out in his backyard studio in Nova Scotia. I made my last three records with Jim. I love him dearly and credit him with helping find the sound I was looking for, but it felt like time to challenge myself and try something new. Dan has an ear for catchy, pop-forward productions, so that contributed to the evolution of Total Cinema.
Dan is also an established instrumentalist on horns and woodwinds, so that was a new element I’ve never had before. Most of the songs have at least some combination of horns and woodwinds, which when properly mixed add sort of a synth-like pad, which I love. We also spent a lot more time sitting down and trying different guitar parts and tones. It’s the most guitar I’ve ever played on a record, and it was fun to challenge myself to be a bit more creative coming up with parts.
As a Canadian artist, how has your relationship with the U.S. shaped your career?
I’m a bit of an odd example in that I started my songwriting career in the U.S. and moved back to Canada. The bulk of my audience and artist relationships are still in the U.S., but living in Canada gives me the advantage of being able to remove myself from the “machine” of the American music industry and write songs without too many outside influences. I value having that space to do my own thing, but I also value the close relationships I have with American artists who’ve really been champions for me. That allows me to do yearly trips to Nashville, Los Angeles and New York, where I can reengage with the machine in small doses. Having that balance is really important for me.
