A greater emphasis on lovely jazzy background sounds really shows off Yanya's signature rasp on a flawless hit.
Following the hit-and-miss trio of ‘Keep On Calling,’ a cover of the 1989 Pixies track ‘Hey,’ and the subtly sombre and stripped back ‘Small Crimes,’ with new Plant Feed release ‘Golden Cage’ I have been put in a daze by the effervescent jazzy nuances and stunning vocal inflections that truly mark 21-year-old Nilüfer Yanya as one to watch for the future.
Her standard mix – understated vocals that never overpower the music it accompanies and occasional additions of instruments to a subtle bassline – is far jazzier than what has come before, in part due to the stunning addition of a solitary saxophone that powers on top of her hushed vocals. The rise and falls of the riffs is hypnotic – whilst jazz isn’t normally my first resort in music, I have been unable to put this song down.
Yes, the video looks like it was shot in the early ’90s by someone who had never picked up a camera in their life, but that is part of the magic of Yanya’s work: the nostalgic hits she brings are flawless. I must admit this is a review filled with superlatives and just the sort of thing you’d tend to hear in your stereotypical hipster coffee shop, but second EP Plant Feed mere days away we can surely take the strength of ‘Golden Cage’ as a sign we’ll be hearing a lot more from her.
‘Golden Cage’ is out now via Blue Flowers
