Words by Skylar Sanders
Following the release of Nilüfer Yanya’s “My Method Actor,” an 11-track LP that graced Pitchfork’s list of the best albums of 2024, “Dancing Shoes” is nothing short of a masterpiece (even if it is rather short in playtime). Created alongside her longtime creative partner Wilma Archer – an English producer and multi-instrumentalist – the EP delivers a compact yet striking showcase of Yanya’s evolving sound. Featuring two previously-released singles, “Where to Look” and “Cold Heart,” the project highlights her fearless approach to cross-genre experimentation and further cements her place as one of London’s most intriguing musical voices.
The project opens with “Kneel,” an easy listen that blends jangling tambourines, otherworldly synths, distorted guitars and (of course) sultry, layered vocals. The track was released alongside a lo-fi, black-and-white visualizer featuring slow-motion close-ups of Yanya nodding along to the track, reminiscent of the “Where To Look” music video.
Once again, Yanya takes to writing between the lines, which she seems to acknowledge with lyrics like “Our bodies woven / We’re healing when nothing is spoken / We’ll ride around just for a moment / It’s easy when nothing is spoken.” She pushes and pulls her way through this track, side-stepping convention and conveying a narrative beneath its poetic surface along the way.
The second track, “Where To Look,” has resonated deeply with listeners since its early June release. From a Spotify billboard heralding “indie girl summer” with a playlist featuring the single, to radio spins across the indie circuit, this much is clear. Vulnerable and raw, it echoes the sentiment of the emotional core of the EP. A meditation on love, lust and the passage of time, it spirals into controlled chaos steeped in grief, cryptic reflections on intimacy and a haze of ambiguity.
“Cold Heart,” the EP’s third track, embraces the motif of changing seasons, opening with “Follow winter sun / Colours come undone / Gone is what is golden / All I sold was almost perfect.” With over two million Spotify streams, it’s her most popular release to date – and it’s easy to see why. The track, once again accompanied by a visualizer, burrows into your head on first listen, practically demanding a prime spot on your most well-loved playlist. Its hypnotic ebbs and flows are hard to pin down – her vocals, captivating as ever, weave effortlessly through the lush cinematic production. (In other words, it sounds like it was created specifically for a film score.)
“Treason” is the barest and most stripped-down track on the album – rather than going out with a bang, Yanya embraces a somber reflection on a complicated relationship. “Living hell what’s on my mind / Silly for no reason / You just watch me sinking / You can’t help me fall behind / I’m not blind I’m bleeding / Either way / God knows what he’s thinking,” she murmurs. The closing lines come across as a stream of consciousness confession from someone at the edge of burnout, teetering between vulnerability and self-preservation.
The motifs of emotional detachment, internalized guilt and the slow unraveling of a relationship emerge again and again throughout the EP, culminating in a weary ultimatum: “One of us is leaving / Because I’m tired.”
Yanya’s approach to music-making is seemingly free-flowing, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t face her share of obstacles in the process. In an interview with London-based curator Cynthia Igbokwe at McQueen Reverb – a series of live listening sessions hosted by Alexander McQueen – she expressed that “the hardest thing [is] to not obsess over what’s next.” She explained that working under the pressure of international tours and back-to-back releases has taught her about the importance of giving herself grace. “I think it’s about learning when to dial it back a bit and be kinder to yourself,” she said.
Loudspeaker Collective 