PAINLESS Album Review

Nilüfer Yanya takes listeners through the process of grappling and healing in her newest album, PAINLESS. The album cannot be pinned down to one genre and neither can Yanya. Nilüfer Yanya is not new to the industry; she has been posting on SoundCloud since 2014. The British singer-songwriter is coming off her debut album Miss Universe. Compared to her debut, this third album shows her audience a darker side to her mind. Staying true to her moody guitar driven ballads and falsetto voice, PAINLESS has more grunge elements than her last.

         In the first song on the album “the dealer,” we are immediately placed in the world of Yanya and the inner workings of her brain. With a guitar that tickles an itch in your brain, she urgently sings “I need some time to work out who this is/I need to know now who I'm dealing with/ That's the kind of patience that breaks your heart.” Yanya knows what she needs out of her relationship, but still acknowledges how it will inevitably hurt her. The entire album is introspective and establishes Yanya’s independence in her relationships. Yanya proclaims her autonomy in refreshing ways. She sings on “stabilise” over broody guitar riffs, “Cause I’m not waiting for no one to save me.” She is not yelling from the rooftop, rather she is whispering her pain in momentous and grand ways.

Yanya is usually not grouped with the rest of the indie-pop one woman acts because she is more elusive than the rest. Her soulful and psychedelic sound transcends the indie-pop space. Inspired by the likes of the Pixies and Nina Simone, her music can be compared to Nai Palm or Snoh Aalegra. PAINLESS is a triumph and showcases how Nilüfer Yanya is carving out her own space in the world of indie music.