Review Summary: Can't switch off
Nilüfer Yanya's frustrating debut showed promise but seemed trapped between an older songwriting tradition and her minimalism - frequently songs seemed to be begging for a stronger chorus or a defining moment, only to be cruelly denied. Confusing interludes based on an irritating and underdeveloped helpline conceit broke up the flow, making it seem a more difficult listening experience than it was. The album did hint at her incredible potential, and on her sophomore full length, she's made an efficient, restrained leap into what is clearly the right artistic voice.
Painless is a confident statement about being trapped in a stalled process.
While the lyrics are frequently just contradicting thought strains, Yanya utilises the music - all stiff, dry beats with cool guitar ripples - to explain herself. It's like her subconscious knows the answers her higher mind is grappling with. On "L/R", she puts down a staccato vocal over a sophisticated Blues groove, then cleverly enters the song from a different angle with a repeated vocal pattern to create tension. This then segues into a seemingly calm melodic resolution, but really, it's like Yanya's mindset. She's given up trying to find something that satisfies her; she'd rather just settle for pleasing someone and living vicariously through how they feel.
"Stabilise" clips along with an angular guitar that sounds like pebbles being sorted on a conveyor belt. If you've ever experienced being unable to exit a thought loop, you'll recognise the anxiety of a restless mind trying to find that off switch. The wiry interludes examine the desperation associated with this - it's not just what it feels like, but how it makes the sufferer feel about the condition.
From a vocal perspective, Yanya has found a new level of expressiveness while staying very much within the pocket. It's smokey, sensual and yet guarded in places. On her previous release she brushed against a bored spoken word at times, but here, despite a rhythmic approach when appropriate, there's still an underlying lift at all times which gives the songs impetus.
While many of the songs are grooves that rely on clever shades in the elements or switching layers to create a shape, album centerpiece "midnight sun" uses all this guile together with big moments to create something monumental. Just before the chorus, there's beautiful loose strum of acoustic guitar to break the meticulous structure and support the rich vocal melody. The song is followed up by the incredible vulnerability of "trouble". While Yanya employs a defensive sense of detachment in much of the album, the vocal here is naked and suffused with the burnt blush of an aching core.
Yanya has railed against classification and sees herself as primarily a rock artist. While that's in many ways a fair assessment, I can understand the mistaken R&B tagging from the media - there's a soulful, contemporary iciness in the latest iteration of her sound which gives it a freshness. When asked whether her cultural background informs her sound (Yanya's father is Turkish and her mother is of Irish and Barbadian heritage), she answers that she does not know, and I think it's impressive that someone at this unsure stage of her life can create something so assured and with so much identity. She ends the album with hopeful pop sound of "anotherlife", which belies the lyrical content of a supplicant. Will this be her next direction? If so, can't wait.
