It doesnât take long listening to London-based singer-songwriter NilĂźfer Yanyaâs music to realise why the likes of Roxy Music, Mitski and The xx find her so compelling. First discovered at 20 years old after uploading her sparse, acoustic demos to Soundcloud, Yanya very quickly made a name for herself with her distinctive soulful, dark-hued guitar pop and indie rock.
Her latest single âMutationsâ unfolds in a way reminiscent of Radioheadâs later work, cloaked in a similar muted intensity. Stripped of the angular guitar riffs in her earlier work, this track leans into a more minimalist arrangement. The beat is steady but unhurried, pulsing softly beneath a layer of delicate synths and reverb-soaked chords, with Yanyaâs low-key vocals at the forefront.
Yanya explains that the track explores subtle, ongoing changes driven by circumstance. She says, âThis is not the phoenix rising from the ashes but the subtle change that happens constantly as millions of tiny decisions and actions shape your beingâ.
âItâs kind of like survival, for meâ, she adds. âLess of a transformation and more something thatâs born out of your environment and surroundings, that you need to do to survive. Mutation is just something you have to go through - you have to evolveâ.
Her new album 'My Method Actor' is out 13 Sep.
đ§ Watch the video for âMutationsâ below