Last month, Istanbul-born and London-based songwriter Bilge Nur Yilmaz released the intriguing single “Asking” under her Tendertwin moniker. The track pairs Yilmaz’s soaring vocals with an unpredictably escalating instrumental that creates a sense of tension illustrated in the song’s music video. In fact that visual’s theme of looking for meaning in the pain of fitness activities also applies to the second track to be released from Tendertwin’s forthcoming Ship Argo EP: “The Runners” features an equally winding soundtrack as lo-fi vocals and acoustic guitar in the opening moments give way to a subtly morphing hi-fi indie-pop ballad incorporating both lush strings and jagged moments of dissonant sound.
Meanwhile, the lyrics focus on unpacking the unconscious motives of jogging and the unspoken interactions shared among runners passing in the street. “Running is a metaphor I can trust: it’s a symbol of the relentless to-and-fro we do every day, and we all run into each other on the way,” Yilmaz shares. “I don’t know how the runners start their day, I don’t know what keeps them up at night—all I know is that glance we share in our resembling outfits as we drift past on a sunny morning is an unspoken ode in solidarity. It seems to me we’re always running towards or running away from something. It’s not painless, but it keeps me going. Can I be curious about this pain? Can I turn it into a game, a dance?”
Check out the track below, and anticipate Tendertwin’s debut EP to arrive July 5.
