Local Music Spotlight: ‘Sunfire’ is Corey Yanks’ second album of 2021

With his second record of 2021, “Sunfire,” Corey Yanks works through a concept album about a car crash and the subsequent fallout, arriving at a cool set of tracks aimed at night drives, commutes and roof-down cruises. “I always play music in my car. So, I was like, this is gonna be a car album,” Yanks said. “You put this in your car, you play it, blast it. And it’s a whole vibe.”

More than a vibe, though, Yanks, a Southern California transplant, worked within the framework of a story. The first two full tracks detail a car crash and subsequent hospital trip (“Close One,” featuring Corey Benji and “Take a Jet” with IxyJay). The following tracks are the come-and-go danger of the close call as the music takes erratic and thrilling turns. Near the EP’s end, the narrator walks out, grateful for the people who surrounded him through it all but elated at finally being back to normal.

“I pictured it as a movie,” Yanks, 23, said. “I always create music with a storyline.” And Yanks gives the reader clues to find their way into the narrative. The EP’s 10 main tracks are sandwiched by skits that set up the plot of the record. And the name, too, “Sunfire,” is the model of car Yanks drives, which is featured on the cover.

“It’s really an homage piece because the car was my grandfather’s,” Yanks said. “And so I got that when he passed away. This is kind of a dedication to him, right on the album cover.” Outside the EP’s concept, a first glance at the track list will call attention to its notable lineup of features.

Yanks called on his peers across the country for the EP. “Corey Benji, he’s from New York. IxyJay and K!mber, they’re both here in Spokane. And then M.O.D. Kheyilla is from a group down in Cali,” Yanks said. The mixture of voices gives the EP more texture and diversity, with the added benefit of rendering it a properly cross-national piece.

Lyrically, “Sunfire” focuses on Yanks’ own life, about which he is very open. “I can’t be fake. I don’t want to be fake. I want to be real. I want to have people be connected more than anything.” Some of his tracks are more focused on the hype or mood, but when it comes down to it, Yanks is willing to open up. “Everyday” and “Crazy on Crazy” “are songs toward my girlfriend and how’s she’s helped me be a better person,” he said.

Though full of interesting tracks, the EP’s closer, “Night Drive,” is one of its stronger moments, drawing on a cool, airy beat and a heavy but effective use of autotune. Plus, the track really embodies its title; it’s exactly the sort of sound you’d want bumping in your car on a Friday night drive out of town.

“That track has been out for a couple years now,” Yanks added. “But I wanted to revamp it and bring it back to a car vibe. And to end the album with ‘Night Drive’ was much-needed. And that studio experience was really my first time ever going into a legit studio in California. For (M.O.D. Kheyilla) to jump on that track with me, it was a huge blessing.”

“I want the windows down, I want to cruise with the people I love because they were with me while this all happened,” Yanks said, tying “Night Drive” back into the album’s concept.

As a follow-up to his debut “New Age, Next Chapter,” Yanks’ “Sunfire” brings his lyrical work and ear to a new type of record: the concept album. And the cleverness of “Sunfire” is that it works just as well on a track-by-track basis as it does as a full play-through.

“I just spent every moment I could in the studio. Making sure everything was crafted the way I wanted it to be, making sure it sounded the way I wanted it to be. And I’m happy with the final product,” Yanks said.

For more information on Yanks’ music releases and other updates, follow him on Instagram @RealCoreyYanks. “Sunfire” is out on all platforms Friday.

Julien A. Luebbers can be reached at julien.luebbers@gmail.com.