Nilüfer Yanya toes the line between desperation and acceptance on “anotherlife”
The new track is the third single from PAINLESS, out March 4 via ATO Records.
Nilüfer Yanya has a way of making pain feel tranquile and grief transcendent. Her third album, PAINLESS, out March 4 on ATO Records, centers tracks that stretch out like lakes at night, sparkling with the strange elements beneath their placid surfaces.
One such track is "anotherlife," out today. Following November's "stabilise" and January's "midnight sun" as the forthcoming record's third single, the new song builds around a catchy chord progression on guitar, synth pads blossoming beneath as Yanya sings in impressionistic bursts of color above it all. Her voice is always at ease, but her lyrics reveal an undercurrent of doubt.
"At the core of the song it’s just about being OK with things and accepting that this is where you are at," she writes. "However, the 'I’ll do anything' line hints at a desperation of wanting to let that be known."
The track comes with a visual treatment directed by Yanya's sister, Molly Daniel, that captures a colorful Sri Lankan vacation. Despite the lush scenery and chic apparel, the trip feels strangely haunted, perhaps by an ineffable sense of loneliness.
Watch the video, and view Yanya's upcoming international tour dates, below.
Nilüfer Yanya 2022 tour dates
3/10 - Glasgow, UK - St Lukes
3/12 - Dublin, IE - Whelans
3/14 - Manchester, UK - Band On The Wall
3/15 - Bristol, UK - Trinity
3/16 - London, UK - Brixton Electric
3/20 - Paris, FR - Trabendo
3/22 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F
3/23 - Munich, DE - Ampere
3/24 - Vienna, AT - Grelle Forelle
3/26 - Berlin, DE - Säälchen
3/27 - Hamburg, DE - Nochtspeicher
3/28 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Noord
3/30 - Brussels, BE - Botanique Orangerie
4/16 - Indio, CA - Coachella
4/20 - San Francisco, CA - August Hall
4/23 - Indio, CA - Coachella
4/26 - Austin, TX - Antones
4/28 - Nashville, TN - Basement East
4/29 - Atlanta, GA - Shaky Knees Festival
4/30 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
5/01 - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle
5/3 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
5/4 - Philadelphia ,PA - Underground Arts
5/6 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
5/7 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
5/9 - Montreal, QUE - L'Astral
5/10 - Toronto, ONT - The Axis Club
5/12 - Detroit, MI - El Club
5/13 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
5/14 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
5/17 - Boulder, CO - The Fox Theatre
5/18 - Salt Lake City, UT - Commonwealth
5/20 - Vancouver, BC - Fortune
5/21 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile
5/22 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
06/11 - Copenhagen, DK - Syd For Solen Festival
8/11–13 - Gothenburg, SE - Way Out West Festival