Album Review: 'Painless' - Nilüfer Yanya
Though still deeply rooted in fear, heartache and existential angst, the British singer’s second album, PAINLESS, longs for escape in the form of lush atmospherics and fuzzy, bass-fuelled grooves.
(Originally posted on Luna Paper)
Is the best art borne from pain? Must an artist suffer in order to produce something worthy?
‘I was enjoying the process of making the record, and thinking, ‘Why do you have to beat yourself up in order to make something?’ Nilüfer Yanya told Apple Music. ‘Obviously, you have to work hard, but often the idea of really struggling is something that people inflict on others, just because it’s the idea they sell to them, like, ‘Oh, you need to go through this.’
Though still deeply rooted in fear, heartache and existential angst, the British singer’s second album, PAINLESS, longs for escape in the form of lush atmospherics and fuzzy, bass-fuelled grooves.
‘the dealer’ bristles with a sense of urgency, restlessly adrift in a haze. Amid eerie cries of organ, Yanya drags her feet across murky bass and spidery chords on ‘L/R,’ resigned to her fate (‘Takе me out to the beach/Take off all your clothes/Whatever makes you happy’). At times, her voice cracks, almost threatening to turn into a howl. But all too quickly she pulls back, once again giving in to her lover’s demands. On ‘shameless,’ she channels that same hopelessness into swirling, psychedelic guitars and stuttering lo-fi beats.
‘belong with you’ layers rock, folk and jazz to create an exhilarating head rush, inspired by the frenetic 00s pop of t.A.T.u’s ‘All the Things She Said.’ Inner city apathy is captured in trembling guitars and anxiety-inducing drum n’ bass on ‘stabilise.’ ‘midnight sun’ proves rather timely, promoting the ‘beauty of confrontation and the necessity of rebellion’ with spiralling, Radiohead-esque guitar and drum loops, backed by a haunting sea of voices, while the static-fuelled grunge of ‘chase me’ harks back to the glory days of Britpop.
‘try,’ however, makes tired dejection sound seductive and sexy, a gentle, sweeping waltz composed of plucked chords, weeping strings and a smoky soulfulness that sets the perfect tone for late night ruminations. It’s a track that deserves to be a single, but will most likely remain an underrated deep cut.
Though minimalist by design, PAINLESS is still stunningly vivid thanks to Yanya’s stark, plain lyricism, much more intimate in scope compared to the wellness-inspired satire of 2019’s Miss Universe.
You can easily picture the slabs of grey and brown buildings that pass in a blur on ‘stabilise,’ along with the walls of the small council flat that are ‘rotten to the core. The way a love chases Yanya through corridors is both exhilarating and frightening. Visceral imagery like blood, skin, bruises and bone further emphasise the singer’s feelings of alienation and detachment.
Yanya also serves up some of her most brilliantly cutting lines yet. Some border on the nihilistic (‘I’ve wasted my life/So there’s no need for the rush/We got all the time here/So why hurry up?’) ‘Sometimes it feels like you’re so violent, autopilot,’ she sings on ‘L/R.’ But best of all is her vicious retort to a soul-sucking ex on ‘belong with you’: ‘Sick of this/I don’t even like you, bitch.’
‘This record is very instinctive,’ Yanya said in a recent interview with the Independent, and she couldn’t be more right. On PAINLESS, the arrangements sprawl freely, the singer able to just luxuriate in these well-worn grooves until they beautifully dissipate.
Artists don’t need to torture themselves to produce good work, but Yanya has a wonderful knack for unravelling emotions. She doesn’t just craft songs; she sculpts moods: hazy, nostalgic yet so achingly felt; constantly shifting in and out of focus. Producer/musician Wilma Archer also deserves credit for helping to bring such moods to life, along with along with Bullion, Jazzi Bobbi and Andrew Sarlo, helping to enhance the record’s feverish, enigmatic feel.
PAINLESS is comfortably numb, but strangely comforting, nonetheless. It’s also an incredible showcase for Yanya’s startling amount of maturity, warmth and talent, turning heartbreak into something compelling and familiar all at once.