Basking in the “SWEET SPOT” With Peter Elkas’ Dreamy, Sun-Kissed Yacht Rock Reverie

Peter Elkas "SWEET SPOT" © Atiya May Elkas
Peter Elkas "SWEET SPOT" © Atiya May Elkas
A dreamy, sun-kissed yacht rock song basking in a moment of connection, Peter Elkas’ “SWEET SPOT” seduces the ears and stirs the heart as the Toronto artist reflects on life in broad, beautiful, golden-hued strokes.
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Stream: “SWEET SPOT” – Peter Elkas




Take a look around, look at what you found, it’s the sweet spot…

You’d be forgiven for mistaking Peter Elkas’ latest single for some long-lost hidden gem from the 1970s.

With its warm production and instrumental arrangement, “SWEET SPOT” calls to mind the likes of America, Rod Stewart, Chicago, and so on. It’s a dreamy, sun-kissed yacht rock song that seduces the ears and stirs the heart at once as the Toronto-based singer/songwriter and producer reflects on life in broad strokes, exploring who we are, why we are, and most important of all, how we can strive to live well.

Sweet Spot - Peter Elkas
Sweet Spot – Peter Elkas
It’s tough
When it doesn’t seem enough
What about the touch?
What about the sweet touch?

You want love
But what you’re asking’s way too much
What about the touch?
What about the sweet touch?
There in the air
There’s something that you share
A golden glow
It takes a hold and then you’ll know
You’re in the sweet spot
You didn’t take it all the way
But now you’re in a better place
You’re better off to stay
Sweet spot

“The painter Harold Feist was my friend,” Elkas tells Atwood Magazine. “He lived a life I admired and when he passed away I was moved to express my appreciation of his influence on me with this song. ‘Sweet Spot’ is a grateful description of the life I try to keep. It’s about the often-unappreciated space in between wants and needs and the fruits that grow from seeds unwittingly sown. Recognizing the sweet spot is harder than it sounds and keeping it is even harder.”

“Self-recorded and self-produced in my Toronto studio The Nest, the song is musically inspired by RnB groups like the Chi Lites and the Commodores. I indulged in arranging and singing all the vocals. I did an impression of Michael McDonald‘s vocal approach in the outro one night for fun and then found I couldn’t take it out of the mix. I am proud of the guitar solo and the work of my band in the rhythm section (Gavin Maguire – drums, Jeff Heisholt – clavinet, Jeremy Little – bass). This song was a labour of love and is a meeting point of the styles that make up my musical constitution. I guess you might say it’s the sweet spot.”

You’re broke
And it’s not even a joke
Spent all of your time,
spent all of your sweet time
But you’re rich
‘Cause you found a little niche
Where you spent all of your time,
spent all of your sweet time



There in between
Ambition and a dream
There’s an accident
Somebody put you in
Hard times in the sweet spot
Maybe it added up to that?
You helped a friend down on his back
Just when he finally painted black
Hank was in the sweet spot
Sweet spot

With its honest, storytelling lyrics, golden harmonies, and bold melodies, “Sweet Spot” really does scratch a special itch – warming the ears, the heart, and the soul all at once as Peter Elkas dwells – no, basks – in a beautiful moment of connection with an old friend, with himself, and with the world at large.

May we all strive to find and embrace our own sweet spots.

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:: stream/purchase SWEET SPOT here ::

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Stream: “SWEET SPOT” – Peter Elkas



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? © Atiya May Elkas


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