Review: "the villain" - Yorke
- Taylor Sheridan Lempke
- Jun 23
- 2 min read
Yorke’s latest release, “the villain,” rips the page from an antagonist’s journal, revealing that most times, they never want to harm the person they love. When a romantic partner comes into her life, she’s overwhelmed by the affection she receives from him, ignoring the parts of her that she needs to heal. Already in too deep, she steps away, breaking the person’s heart. It feels like a selfish crime. It’s hard to read the moral compass when she needs to help herself, but in doing so, it hurts the person she loves. Like every villain’s plan, there’s a flaw in Yorke’s strategy, “I didn’t perfect it, the art of letting go/ I’m the villain.”
The synths and guitar are heavy, like the guilt that cuts deep when you have to let go. Each guitar strum is a siren—there’s danger and pain, but help and healing, too. It stings, but it brings comfort. The beat strikes like a sword past the armor or a bullet past the vest, pounding to the core. Every pain we cause to the other person ricochets back to ourselves. The repetition of “I am the villain,” and the layered synths in the bridge feel like an escapee scene, realizing that she may have started all this. The isolation before the final chorus feels like a reflection in a cell, in a state of loneliness. But she reaches an acceptance in the final chorus. The same climbing, layered synths paint this scene as if it’s all right. Sometimes, there has to be a heartbreaker.
This dream pop “villain,” Yorke, created the song for her EP unfinished business. Although her flaws may challenge her relationship, it’s rare to find any in the carefully crafted lyrics of the EP. Grace Hughes’s story started in Byron Bay, Australia, and she seals her identity and passion under the name Yorke, inspired by her love for New York City. Now, she has two EPs released and over 43 million streams. For indigo la End’s tour walk-on track, the Japanese rock band used Yorke’s song “like in the movies” from her EP ten feet tall. Yorke has supported musicians like Ball Park Music, The Veronicas, Ruel, Peach PRC, Lewis Capaldi, and Good Neighbours. In her career, she’s far from a villain.
Written By Taylor Sheridan Lempke
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