English rock singer/songwriter Nilüfer Yanya has shared “midnight sun,” the second single from her forthcoming follow-up to 2019’s Miss Universe. One of Paste’s most-anticipated albums of 2022, PAINLESS is set for a March 4 release on ATO Records.
Like “stabilise” before it, “midnight sun” is atmospheric, yet propulsive, with arpeggiated guitars and a busy kick drum as the pistons powering its engine. Yanya sings like the xx’s dual vocalists were merged into one person, her voice no less emotive for its hushed delicacy. As the song progresses, her piercing voice becomes wreathed in buzzing guitar distortion, but is never overwhelmed by it.
Yanya spoke to the meaning of “midnight sun” in a statement:
It’s a song about recognizing what it feels like to be pushed down but wanting to resist. I really like the imagery of “midnight sun” as a lyric as it insinuates a light guiding you through darkness. The wings carry their own symbolism—freedom, lightness, flight, fantasy. If I could pick what people saw & heard it would be seeing the beauty of confrontation and the necessity of rebellion.
Yanya made her full-length debut with Miss Universe in 2019, releasing her three-track Feeling Lucky? in 2020, and a Feeling Lucky? Remix EP and vinyl compilation Inside Out (collecting her early EPs) in 2021.
The London native’s 2022 tour of the U.K., E.U. and North America kicks off shortly after the release of PAINLESS in March, with 19 shows across the U.S. and Canada set for late April and May.
Check out the “midnight sun” visualizer (dir. Molly Daniel) below, and find the details of PAINLESS and Yanya’s tour dates further down. You can preorder the album here.
PAINLESS Tracklist:
01. the dealer
02. L/R
03. shameless
04. stabilise
05. chase me
06. midnight sun
07. trouble
08. try
09. company
10. belong with you
11. the mystic
12. anotherlife
PAINLESS Art:
Nilüfer Yanya Tour Dates:
March
10 – Glasgow, UK @ St Lukes
12 – Dublin, IE @ Whelans
14 – Manchester, UK @ Band On The Wall
15 – Bristol, UK @ Trinity
16 – London, UK @ Brixton Electric
20 – Paris, FR @ Trabendo
22 – Zurich, CH @ Bogen F
23 – Munich, DE @ Ampere
24 – Vienna, AT @ Grelle Forelle
26 – Berlin, DE @ Säälchen
27 – Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher
28 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord
30 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Orangerie
April
26 – Austin, TX @ Antones
28 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
29 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
30 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
May
01 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
03 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
04 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
06 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
07 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
09 – Montreal, QUE @ L’Astral
10 – Toronto, ONT @ The Axis Club
12 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
13 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
17 – Boulder, CO @ The Fox Theatre
18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Commonwealth
20 – Vancouver, BC @ Fortune
21 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
22 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
July
11 – Copenhagen, DK @ Syd For Solen Festival
August
11-13 – Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West Festival