It’s been over two years since Nilüfer Yanya released her debut album Miss Universe. Since then, she’s shared her Feeling Lucky EP, and now she’s returning with her follow-up to her 2019 debut. The forthcoming LP is titled PAINLESS and the single that she’s shared today is called “stabilise,” which comes with an accompanying video by her sister and longtime creative collaborator Molly Daniel.
“stabilise” opens with an agile guitar that runs anxiously alongside drum and bass production. “There’s nothing out there / For you and me / I’m going nowhere,” Yanya sings, her voice breaking a bit on the last line. It feels like she’s racing against time to save herself, since no one else is going to be her protector. “Cause I’m not waiting / For no one to save me.”
In the video she dresses in a sleek black outfit and rides her bike around a cityscape. In the end, we’re in a club with people frantically dancing away their stresses. “I was really thinking about your surroundings and how much they influence or change your perception of things,” Yanya explained. “A lot of the city is just grey and concrete, there’s no escape. The video plays on the central theme in the song of no one coming to save you ever. It’s set in depths of reality in every day life where we are the only ones truly capable of salvaging or losing ourselves. Nothing is out there—both a depressing and reassuring statement (depending on how you look at it). Sometimes you have to dress up as a spy or a rock star and just hope for the best.”
Watch the video for “stabilise” below, and pre-order PAINLESS here.
