Ever the bedroom musician, cozy in her creative space, developing full songs from sparks of ideas in her cramped London flat, Zoe Konez relishes time on her own to write and produce in her home studio. However, as the world gradually opened up after 2020’s lockdown, Konez found herself reluctant and uncertain of the outside world. Deepening into the ever-comfortable ‘musical hermit’ role a bit too far, Konez realized she had drifted away from people, experiences, and fun.
Taking the leap to leave London for a new coastal home in 2024, Konez’s upcoming album was recorded in the middle of the decision-making process. Within the 12 songs to be gradually released over the coming year, you’ll find themes of friendship, loneliness, aging, self-esteem, depression, and the enduring journey to finding joy and contentment.
The latest single on the journey to Konez’s debut record is the ethereal and tender “Yeah I Know.” The gentle ballad puts the artist’s poetry at the forefront as twinkling acoustics cascade around the lush vocals. The simplicity of “Yeah I Know” evokes the magic of acoustic folk, while the emotional songwriting and rootsy guitars anchor the song down to earth. The whimsy of the vocals is quickly juxtaposed by the complex emotions expressed in the lyrics, creating an intoxicating sonic contradiction. Konez took a long journey to make the songs of her debut, and “Yeah I Know” sounds like the part of the story where our hero comes to a life-changing realization that changes the course of the narrative.
“I realized as I was writing ‘Yeah I Know’ that the process of writing the song and singing it was calming my anxieties. I was processing and relieving my worries in real-time,” explains Konez. “The layers of voices gave me a feeling of comfort, and while it’s a simple arrangement, I hope the song gently relaxes the listener as much as it did me to make.”
