Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the New Yank Yorkies latest single, Trick of the Heart, released on January 12, 2023.
Vancouver (Canada) based New Yank Yorkies (great band name by the way!) are formed by a group of session musicians, producers, and songwriters who have toured with artists such as Bryan Adams, Ferron, Bruce Cockburn, Jim Byrnes, Colin James, and Ian Tyson.
Trick Of The Heart begins with a cool country/rock guitar riff and closed hi-hat before launching into a full band sound which grabs your attention immediately. We all found ourselves slow-nodding to this super-catchy classic-sounding nostalgic track.
The guitar fills in the track are a little nod to some of our favourite bands (Lynyrd Skynyrd for example) and bring each section of the song together nicely by giving the listener something to keep coming back to.
The verses break down and rely heavily on the lead vocalist carrying the song, which he does effortlessly. Lead vocals are very reminiscent of Rod Stewart and have just the right amount of twang and gravel to be thoroughly endearing and exciting to listen to. We like the occasional use of layered vocals in the track to bolster the lead.
The rise and fall in this track is superb, with changes in rhythms and stops to keep the listener on their toes. A guitar solo mid-way through the track has some lovely harmonies, great tone and superb choice of notes.
Everything about this track reminded us of the Black Crowes, and we feel this is a track which would stand up well on a playlist with Black Crowes, Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Faces.
We absolutely loved the fake ending on this track which builds back in with a spoken word section and some glorious work on the toms.
Ideas from our ears
A hi-pass filter at 35Hz and a small boost around 50Hz would give the kick drum a little more thump. A cut around 200Hz and a high shelf boost in the top octave would balance out the mix between top and bottom snare mics as well and adding extra brightness to the overall sound of the track. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
The New Yank Yorkies have blown us away with their brand of nostalgic rock. A group of highly skilled musicians who grabbed our attention from the very first second of the song and held it until we chose to hit repeat! Song of the day.