Home, Anywhere by Yas Akdag: EP Review

by admin June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

“Home, Anywhere” by Yas Akdag is a debut EP is like opening a handwritten letter from someone learning to belong in their own story. Released June 13, 2025, the project is an acoustic-forward, emotionally intelligent exploration of what “home” really means. Yas, a London-born, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and producer, wrote this during her senior year at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute and the uncertain transition that followed. So you know she is trying to express herself while connecting with those of us still learning how to feel at home within herself, no matter where she physically lands.

The five-track EP reveals a piece of her identity, stitched together through the experience of growing up across cultures and transitioning into adult life post-college. Produced during her final year at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute and the year that followed, “Home, Anywhere” has that distinct in-between feeling, where you’re not where you were, but not quite settled where you are.

You feel that especially in “Without You,” a wistful opener sets the tone with slow, haunting piano and soft, echoing textures. The lyrics paint memories of closeness with vivid simplicity, while drums and chiming guitar gradually build the emotional tension.

In “Holy Devil,” Yas captures the sweet panic of falling in love. The warm guitar and piano usher you into the verse, and then the chorus lifts you up with heart-thumping drums and a confessional line—“Holy devil, I am in trouble / I am falling deep, deep down”—that feels like the moment you realize you’re in too deep.

By the time “The Way You Love Him” closes the EP, Akdag fully immerses the listener in a cinematic swell of soft piano, shimmering strings, and emotionally-charged percussion. Her voice is soft but assured, always emotionally tethered to the storytelling.

With production help from Bobby Wooten and Caroline Meade, and contributions from musicians tied to Lucy Dacus and other indie names, Home, Anywhere is a fascinating and deep album. Listen to it on Spotify.