Sophia Yau-Weeks is a singer-songwriter based in Oakland, CA. Now back in her hometown after a two-year-stint living in London, Yau-Weeks is releasing her debut record, Misty Mountain. This vulnerable body of work is rooted in slowness and introspection.
Most of the LP was written between daytime nannying shifts and evening gigs across London’s independent venues like the George Tavern and Windmill Brixton. At a time when she was finding her footing in the local music scene, Yau-Weeks became immunocompromised from a Covid infection. This led to a period of great isolation, giving the album its reflective, melancholic, and tender sound.
Misty Mountain was recorded to tape at Tiny Telephone with co-producer Maryam Qudus (Alanis Morisette, SASAMI, SPELLLING, Gracie Abrams). Embracing organic artistic expression and collaboration, the album explores themes of love and relationships, grief and trauma, and resilience and collectivism, while drawing sonic inspiration from the likes of Nick Drake and Big Thief. Yau-Weeks’ desire to record analog was not only about the sonic warmth it would offer, but also an attempt to embrace slowness and imperfection, a rejection of the productiveness and perfectionism instilled in her at a young age.
Wistful and inquisitive, Misty Mountain is an intimate look into Yau-Weeks’ internal world as she processes the past, reflects upon the present, and anticipates the future. It is a thoughtful amalgamation of her experiences, commenting on what it means to be alone in the world while in communion with others. With candid lyricism and a timeless indie-folk sound, Misty Mountain is a debut surely worth the listen.
Most of the LP was written between daytime nannying shifts and evening gigs across London’s independent venues like the George Tavern and Windmill Brixton. At a time when she was finding her footing in the local music scene, Yau-Weeks became immunocompromised from a Covid infection. This led to a period of great isolation, giving the album its reflective, melancholic, and tender sound.
Misty Mountain was recorded to tape at Tiny Telephone with co-producer Maryam Qudus (Alanis Morisette, SASAMI, SPELLLING, Gracie Abrams). Embracing organic artistic expression and collaboration, the album explores themes of love and relationships, grief and trauma, and resilience and collectivism, while drawing sonic inspiration from the likes of Nick Drake and Big Thief. Yau-Weeks’ desire to record analog was not only about the sonic warmth it would offer, but also an attempt to embrace slowness and imperfection, a rejection of the productiveness and perfectionism instilled in her at a young age.
Wistful and inquisitive, Misty Mountain is an intimate look into Yau-Weeks’ internal world as she processes the past, reflects upon the present, and anticipates the future. It is a thoughtful amalgamation of her experiences, commenting on what it means to be alone in the world while in communion with others. With candid lyricism and a timeless indie-folk sound, Misty Mountain is a debut surely worth the listen.