Reuben Styles, best known as one-half of ARIA Award winning electronic duo Peking Duk, has been channelling his excess creative energy into genre-bending solo project Y.O.G.A. (You’re Only Great Always) for four years this October, and has surprised even himself with the evolution of the project.
On Friday (September 27th), Styles dropped his latest Y.O.G.A. single, “Down in Boots,” a collaboration featuring country music talents Kaylee Bell and Blake O’Connor. The song is a swirling mix of country, electronic, and other influences, standing out for its unique blend of genres – a hallmark of Styles’ “cow tech” Y.O.G.A. signature.
But beyond the music, Y.O.G.A. carries a deeper message, one that touches on mental health and the importance of creating a space for open conversations.
The creation of “Down in Boots” began in a place far removed from the bustling energy of Peking Duk’s typical soundscape. Styles first crossed paths with Bell and O’Connor at the 2022 SongHubs Country – a songwriting camp for country artists. Despite his background in electronic music, Styles found himself drawn to the raw, human elements that country music brings to the table.
“I’d done a lot of Western and banjo and I’d been trying to recreate, I don’t know, pretty much Clint Eastwood soundtracks? [But] I’d always wanted to collaborate with real deal country artists, because little things like slide guitar and playing the harmonica just create a landscape instantly that make you feel like you’re in a far away place,”
Styles laughs. “There’s something that humans provide that cannot be replicated, and it’s in that western and country space, so I really wanted to get on this SongHubs Country camp and somehow was lucky enough to get on it.”
On the first day of the camp, he met Blake O’Connor, a soulful singer and multi-instrumentalist from New South Wales, who now resides in Nashville. O’Connor’s talent left a lasting impression on Styles, who knew immediately that he wanted to collaborate beyond the camp – an opportunity that arose during a writing trip to the country music capital of the world in late 2023.
“Blake is insane,” Styles gushes. “I was so blown away by this guy and the way he could just pick up the guitar – he could play acoustic, he could do electric, he could do slide, he could finger pick – he could pick up the harmonica, and he’s a deep soulful singer from the south who just has the most incredible voice as well.”
Kaylee Bell, a New Zealand-born country artist also now based in Nashville, was another key collaborator on the song. Styles recalls being blown away by her songwriting prowess during the camp. “Kaylee is next level,” he says. “She’s a professional in every sense; her ability to quickly generate and refine ideas without attachment to them is something that takes years to develop. I could tell just instantly, I want to work with Kaylee on more songs because her songwriting, the lyrics and the melodies and everything was just incredible.”
“Down in Boots” defies easy categorisation. While it leans into the country genre, it’s also infused with elements of electronic dance music, a little blues and a honky tonk rap, creating a sound that’s entirely its own. It’s a swampy song with a funky riff, a departure from traditional country but still deeply rooted in its ethos.
“You know, I think this song could be my gateway drug into country music,” I tell Styles, admitting that while I’ve been a longtime fan of his Y.O.G.A. project, this particular song hits different.
“It’s not the song that’s going to change your whole perspective on country music, but it definitely could be a gateway drug,” Styles laughs. “It’s reminiscent of the styles I explored in my last single, ‘Rodeo,’ where I combined hip-hop, country, and electronic elements. There’s no strict genre to it, but it’s got all my favourite parts of country music.”
The song’s narrative was born out of Styles’ experiences in Nashville, a city known as “Woo Girl City” thanks to the endless stream of bachelorette parties that flood the streets. The song paints a vivid picture of a single young buck crossing the river into the neon-lit chaos of Broadway, Nashville’s famous honky-tonk district, to try his luck. It’s a story that’s both absurd and grounded, much like the city itself.
“On Broadway, this street in Nashville, there is, I reckon [there are] a hundred bars all playing live music for 14 hours a day, even on a Monday — it doesn’t matter what day of the week it is. They fully close the street off Thursday to Sunday because it’s just that packed with people,” Styles explains. “I just imagine this lone ranger going across the river landing in the thick of Broadway and just going, all right, I kind of need to get amongst it and try my luck, see what happens. It’s just absurd. It’s ridiculous. And it comes from an absurd and a ridiculous place on earth, which is Broadway, Nashville.”
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While “Down in Boots” is a fun, high-energy song, Y.O.G.A. has always had a deeper purpose. From its inception, the project has been about more than just making music – it’s been about creating a space for mental health conversations, especially within the music industry.
“Whilst it is fun to celebrate and party, the inception of the project was to create spaces for us to talk,” Styles explains. “I’m really stoked that I got to be part of Sound Minds at BIGSOUND this year, and get to do a panel with Ash King from Support Act talking about mental health struggles within people in the music industry and touching on identity and also talking about social media and the trolls online that actually tear us down more than we need.”
Creatives, in particular, don’t do well with excessive criticism, Styles admits. “I think most creatives would be slightly more fragile than the average person because you have to be vulnerable to put yourself on the line, and that vulnerability can then open you to absolutely getting ripped apart. Hopefully the platforms can start to address this a little bit better because the amount of people who it really brings down is crazy.”
October, which is World Mental Health Month, holds special significance for Y.O.G.A.. Not only will it mark the anniversary of the project’s inception, last year Styles released a track with Jimi the Kween for World Mental Health Day and threw a fundraiser for Support Act, an Australian organisation that offers mental health support for people in the music industry. This year, with the release of “Down in Boots,” Styles is considering reviving Y.O.G.A.’s “Mental Health Matters” series on Instagram, where fans shared their personal stories related to mental health.
“It was such a beautiful part of the start of Y.O.G.A.,” Styles recalls. “I really want to find a way to bring it back. I think that it’s definitely a space which I really care about, and it’s such an important space to me. So yeah, I want to find the right way to revamp it.”
With Peking Duk selling out shows, Y.O.G.A. quickly gaining momentum, studio sessions with other artists, and a young family at home, Styles has his hands full. Balancing these projects with his own mental health is a constant challenge, one that requires conscious effort and the occasional step back.
“The best thing I can do is try to remember that life is long, and I need to slow the hell down,” Styles admits. “I was actually supposed to be in Nashville this week, but I decided, you know what? Let’s cancel that and have two weeks of absolute nothingness. This madness and the chaos just needs a little bit of nothing.”
Taking time for himself, even in the midst of a hectic schedule, is essential for Styles. He knows that without it, the demands of his career could easily become overwhelming.
“It’s been more than a full-time job – it’s been like two or three full-time jobs all at once. And to have a kid and a family as well, I’ve slowly realised I’m kind of missing out on the best parts in life because of how much I’ve been burning myself at both ends,” Styles admits. “It’s a good distraction, working so much, and being so busy. It’s like you actually forget how sad you can be about all this shit sometimes because you’re so busy entertaining and talking to the people on the road, and it can distract you from how sad you really are deep down about missing out on what you find most important.”
As Styles continues to navigate his various musical projects, Y.O.G.A. remains a significant part of his artistic journey. “Down in Boots” is just the latest example of how he’s pushing traditional genre definitions, while also staying true to the project’s core mission of promoting mental health awareness.
“It’s been such a fun journey,” Styles reflects. “It’s like everything we’ve ever dreamed of was being this busy. So it’s a funny one, because if we weren’t this busy we wouldn’t have the ability to take time off and it would be madness. But then madness followed with no downtime; and we’re in a real lucky position with things where somehow the Duk is back post-COVID.”
While “Down in Boots” might be a fun party song with two incredibly talented collaborators, Styles is out to make a meaningful impact with his music. Whether through genre-blending tracks or mental health advocacy, Y.O.G.A. is carving out a unique space in the music world, and with appearances already locked in at festivals like CMC Rocks in 2025, and a collaboration with rock icon Jimmy Barnes on the horizon — watch this space — it looks like the world is taking notice.
Y.O.G.A’s “Down in Boots” (ft. Kaylee Bell and Blake O’Connor) is out now.
Y.O.G.A. Upcoming Tour Dates
28th September 2024 – Tamworth Barbecue Festival, Tamworth NSW
4th November 2024 – Moon Dog Wild West, Melbourne VIC
16th November 2024 – Banana Split @ Ice Cream Factory, Perth WA
29th November 2024 – Roma Country Music Festival, Roma QLD
21st March 2025 – CMC Rocks, Ipswich QLD
