Yellow Days, the musical project of London’s George Van Den Broek, shares a brand new single today in “Soul Smile.” The new track follows his series of three EPs released in 2022, each of which feature George playing all of the instrumentation and exploring different musical influences ranging from psychedelic rock, jazz and vibrant funk. The single offers the first indication of the sonic direction for the forthcoming fourth and final project in the series, coming soon.

Speaking about the new song, George says, “‘Soul Smile’ is a tune about true love, a warm ever- comforting, ever-reliable bond that can only be shared with the one.”

Yellow Days kicked off the series of projects with his Slow Dance & Romance EP, featuring the title track “Slow Dance & Romance,” and the follow-up EP Apple Pie, including the lead single “Panic Attacks.” His Inner Peace EP marked the third installment in the series and was entirely self-produced and performed by George in his home studio in East London, featuring the lead single and title track “Inner Peace.”

van den Broek, who has recorded under the moniker Yellow Days since he was a teenager, wanted to remove all the showy clutter and excess from his work and get back to writing songs. Straightforward, elemental songs about the subjects and scenes that have enchanted popular music since the dawn of the form: love, a chance encounter, a dance, the spark between two people. Working alone, playing all instruments, George recorded like he “was 15 again” and the result is Slow Dance & Romance, a five-song EP of love tunes that honor two of his heroes, beloved reggae lover-man Alton Ellis and Motown genius Stevie Wonder. Raised in Surrey—“out in the countryside”—George is an entirely self-taught musician who fell in love with American R&B when he was young. Soul pioneer Ray Charles quickly became his north star, though he also found inspiration in contemporary iconoclasts like Thundercat and Mac DeMarco.

Since 2016, George has steadily released singles and albums. Across three albums—Harmless Melodies (2016), Is Everything OK in Your World? (2017), and his major-label debut A Day in a Yellow Beat (2020)—he’s weaved in and out of genres like psychedelic rock, bedroom pop, and, of course, rhythm and blues. He’s collaborated with indie rapper Bishop Nehru and beloved musical star Shirley Jones; his single “Gap in the Clouds” appeared in the trailer for season two of Donald Glover’s series Atlanta. More than a particular sound, George’s early work is defined by boundless energy, a beginner’s mindset that acts on intuition. On “Gap in the Clouds,” his voice embodies this energy—he warbles, he yells; there’s grit and texture in his wailing; he pushes to the very top of his register, unbridled.