Stream Nilüfer Yanya’s Debut Album Miss Universe
We’ve already heard a few tracks from Nilüfer Yanya’s debut LP, Miss Universe, including its closer, “Heavyweight Champion Of The Year,” “In Your Head,” and “Tears.” Today, we get to hear the London-based songwriter’s upcoming album in full via NPR’s First Listen.
Miss Universe is a chameleon and its experimental nature allows Yanya to try on any hat she wants. The album feels organic in the sense that there’s a definitive stream-of-consciousness guiding Yanya from track to track, but she’s included short interludes that contextualize the album for the listener. On those interludes, Yanya takes on a Sophia The Robot-esque voice and begins by discussing a treatment program named after the first track: “WWAY HEALTH™.”
On the incredibly catchy song “Heat Rises,” Yanya plunges the listener into what feels like manic episode replete with guitar riffs. “Paradise” opens with a jazzy, meditative vibe, but as soon as you’ve settled into it, a winding guitar swings the pendulum of emotion and uplifts the overall mood. On “Melt,” Yanya’s voice takes on an unimpressed and bored cadence on the chorus, even as the instrumentation blossoms into something atmospheric. Yanya’s lyrics are self-aware throughout, best exemplified on “The Unordained” in which she repetitively croons: “Sooner or later/They’re going to abase her.”
Stream Miss Universe on NPR.
Miss Universe is out 3/22 via ATO.