Acclaimed British artist Leon Vynehall unveils ‘Cruel Love’, the centrepiece of his forthcoming album In Daytona Yellow, a standout moment that distils the record’s emotional core into a strikingly catchy, pop-leaning form. Featuring vocals from rising underground star Beau Nox – whose writing and vocal work includes collaborations with Drake, Don Toliver, and Naomi Sharon – the track is a vivid, vulnerable exploration of imperfection and emotional self-reckoning.
Due for release on September 19th 2025 via Ooze INC, In Daytona Yellow marks the next chapter in the Ivor Novello-nominated producer and DJ’s continually evolving sound.
With ‘Cruel Love’, Vynehall leans into a more traditional songwriting framework, melding his signature experimentalism with the immediacy of pop and R&B. The track crystallizes the album’s overarching theme: how embracing vulnerability and imperfection can lead to transformation. It’s accompanied by a stunning visual directed by Alex Takacs, with whom Vynehall previously collaborated on the Nothing Is Still short films. The video follows Leon as he enters a void-like dream state via a hypnotic, mind-altering device. Speaking about the video, Vynehall shares:
“When I first started writing the album, Alex Takacs (Director) was one of the first people I spoke to about the concept and creative around the record. We’ve been discussing and plotting what we wanted to do with this video for over two years, so to finally see the vision through at this level feels cathartic. Alex is genuinely one of the most intoxicatingly innovative and creatively thorough people I’ve been around – I always learn something when we work together.”
Speaking on the track itself, Vynehall adds: “I started this song in the latter half of 2022, and when it was taking shape I knew exactly who I wanted to sing on it. Beau and I met earlier that year and I was totally bowled over by his voice. His tone and unique vibrato stuck with me, and I would listen to the demos he sent me of his own music a lot.”
Over the past 13 years, Vynehall has built a formidable reputation through his genre-defying artistry. From his early days as a leftfield house producer releasing on labels like Aus Music, Running Back, 3024, and Rush Hour, to his critically acclaimed debut album Nothing Is Still (2018) and the boundary-pushing Rare, Forever (2021), he has continually redefined his creative limits. While Rare, Forever was a bold step away from dance music—melding post-punk textures with experimental electronics—In Daytona Yellow pushes these experiments into a more traditional songwriting framework, inspired by both contemporary and 80s avant-pop.
“It’s about the rejection of perfection and embracing vulnerability,” Vynehall explains of the album’s central theme. “I wanted to let go of that pressure – to say goodbye to a former version of myself and move forward.” A recurring lyrical motif—“Forget your perfect offering / for there is a crack in everything / that is how the light gets in”—underpins the record, embracing imperfection as a source of growth and artistic expression. It’s also the first of his records to feature live vocal collaborations, as well as his own vocals and lyricism. Thematically, we hear Vynehall at his most open and authentic.
The album’s visual and conceptual identity took shape after Vynehall visited Minamidera by the renowned American “master of light” artist James Turrell in Naoshima, Japan. The exhibition—a meditation on perception—profoundly influenced the way Vynehall approached the album’s sonic world. “The artwork hasn’t changed, you have,” a guide tells visitors at the conclusion of the piece. This sentiment is deeply embedded in In Daytona Yellow.
In bringing his vision to life, Vynehall assembled a collective of like-minded artists: vocalists TYSON, POiSON ANNA, Beau Nox, Kenzie TTH, Jeshi, and Birmingham band Chartreuse, alongside multi-instrumentalist Harvey Dweller and string arranger Amy Langley, as well as long time collaborator artist Eric Timothy Carlson, and photographer Amandsa Elise K. Together, they create a richly textured, emotionally charged landscape.
In Daytona Yellow is set to be a career-defining release, cementing Leon Vynehall as one of electronic music’s most innovative and thought-provoking artists, part of a vanguard expanding the ambition of electronic music. Stay tuned for more coming soon.
Leon Vynehall – In Daytona Yellow
Tracklist:
1. Life Is Not Enough
2. Mirror’s Edge (feat. POiSON ANNA)
3. A Jagged Promise
4. Scab (feat. TYSON)
5. Whip (feat. Jeshi)
6. Cruel Love (feat. Beau Nox)
7. Slow Devotion
8. Romantica (feat. Kenzie TTH)
9. You Strange Precious Thing (feat. Chartreuse)
10. New Skin / Old Body
Stay tuned for Futuristic Tracks of the Week selection and listen to Leon Vynehall’s new music first
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