Another album bought on the strength of a song heard on 6Music. ‘The Dealer’ made the cut and got a fair bit of rotation earlier this year so when the album came out I took a punt on it.
Despite what her name might suggest, Yanya is actually from London but has Turkish, Irish and Barbadian heritage according to Wikipedia.
The album is filled with indie pop/borderline R&B tracks about loss, despair and alienation as far as can tell. Despite the subject matter, the songs are really strong on this record. Looped beats, scratchy guitars, the faint whiff of Radiohead here and there (try ‘Midnight Sun’ for example).
I’ve listened to this album over and over and I’m completely taken with Yanya’s delicate, breathy vocals and relaxed, almost mumbling delivery, it is so engaging. There is a whiff of Nadie Shah in there, definitely.
If any of that sounds like it might hump your camel then the record is available on cloudy blue disc via Juno/Rough Trade or black from Amazon/HMV.
Tracks To Try: ‘The Dealer’, ‘Stabilise’, ‘Midnight Sun’, ‘Try’.
Comments