When Reuben Styles first crossed paths with Jimmy Barnes at the 2016 APRA Music Awards, he never imagined the chance encounter would one day lead to a collaboration.
Fast-forward eight years, and Styles’ solo project, Y.O.G.A. (You’re Only Great Always), has produced “Comin’ Up” – an electrifying blend of EDM, country, and blues, featuring the legendary rocker himself.
Released hot on the heels of Y.O.G.A.’s Nashville-inspired hit “Down in Boots” with Kaylee Bell and Blake O’Connor, “Comin’ Up” is a rollicking good time. Packed with harmonica, foot-stomping rhythms, and Barnes’ unmistakable vocals, it’s a song that defies genre conventions while staying true to Y.O.G.A.’s innovative ethos.
Styles reflects on the origins of the collaboration with a mix of awe and humour. “I first met Jimmy at the 2016 APRA Music Awards and it planted a seed I’ll never forget,” he recalls. “He said something along the lines of ‘let’s make some fuckin’ bangers!’ And once I started dabbling in this ‘cow tech’ era with Y.O.G.A., I started feeling like the right song for Jimmy was getting closer.”
Co-written with country wunderkind Blake O’Connor, the song seemed tailor-made for Barnes. Styles took a leap of faith, reaching out to the Cold Chisel frontman. Barnes’ reply? “If you dream it, I’ll scream it.”
The session to record “Comin’ Up” was as explosive as one might expect from such powerhouse artists. “The entire session took perhaps less than 20 minutes and somehow in that time we wrote a Cab Calloway-style to-and-fro and got stacks and layers and then a huge scream with beautiful vibrato for the ending,” Styles reveals. “I’m now stumped as to how this much talent can live inside one person. What an incredible human being. It’s Jimmy’s world and we are living in it!”
The song’s roots pull inspiration from blues, Americana, disco, soul, gospel, and country, with Styles and Barnes backed by production duo MSquared. Michael Paynter, Barnes’ touring guitarist and one half of MSquared, brought unique insight into the rocker’s style.
“Michael knows how Jimmy operates and likes his voice to sound, and just knows the man through and through, which was invaluable when we were seeing where to take the song,” Styles shares. “The MSquared lads can do no wrong. Every time I get in the studio with them, it’s more exciting than the last.”
“Comin’ Up” continues Styles’ evolution as a solo artist, bridging his electronic music roots with his newfound love for country and Americana. As Styles revealed in a recent interview with Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Y.O.G.A. allows him to explore his creative boundaries outside of Peking Duk, embracing heartfelt lyrics and a more human, organic sound.
“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?” Styles shared. “[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… There’s something that humans provide that cannot be replicated.”
Next year, Styles will bring his genre-blending live show to a number of festivals, including the iconic CMC Rocks.
“The Y.O.G.A. show has constantly been evolving and growing since Snow Machine Japan and Stagecoach; getting tighter and more succinct whilst feeling more flowing and wild,” Styles says. “I’m very proud of where it has come and bloody excited for where it is going!”
Y.O.G.A.’s “Comin’ Up” (ft. Jimmy Barnes) is out now.
