Miss Universe (album)
Miss Universe is the debut album by English singer Nilüfer Yanya. It was released on March 22, 2019 on ATO Records.[5]
Miss Universe | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 22, 2019 | |||
Recorded | January 2016 – October 2018 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 52:57 | |||
Label | ATO | |||
Producer |
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Nilüfer Yanya chronology | ||||
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Background and composition
Miss Universe is Nilüfer Yanya's first full-length album. Yanya eschewed using any of her material from previous EPs, choosing instead to write an album using entirely new material, although some of the songs, such as "Monsters Under the Bed", had been written long beforehand.[6]
The album is interspersed with interludes featuring messages from "WWAY HEALTH", voiced by Yanya, which are short monologues in the form of automated phone messages that intimate at an alienating healthcare bureaucracy, with sparse ethereal sounds in the background.
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.8/10[7] |
Metacritic | 85/100[8] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
Clash | 9/10[10] |
The Guardian | [11] |
The Independent | [4] |
Mojo | [12] |
NME | [13] |
The Observer | [14] |
Pitchfork | 8.3/10[3] |
Q | [15] |
Uncut | 8/10[16] |
Miss Universe received wide critical acclaim on its release,[6][13][17] with critics noting Yanya's ability to bounce back and forth between musical and lyrical styles, shifting between "gimlet-eyed composure and cataclysmic panic".[3] The album was described as nervous and restless, combining influences from indie rock to soul, jazz, and trip hop.[6][18] A Stereogum review called Yanya's voice "malleable and endlessly expressive", and described the song compositions as "minimal and instinctual".[5] Pitchfork ranked the album as one of the best of 2019 in their year end review.[19]
Track listing
Track listing and credits are sourced from album liner notes.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "WWAY Health™" | Archer | 0:59 | |
2. | "In Your Head" |
| Congleton | 3:28 |
3. | "Paralysed" |
| Archer | 4:26 |
4. | "Angels" |
| Oli Barton-Wood | 3:56 |
5. | "Experience?" |
| Archer | 1:07 |
6. | "Paradise" |
| Barton-Wood | 3:58 |
7. | "Baby Blu" |
| Laengbaek | 4:41 |
8. | "Warning" |
| Archer | 0:21 |
9. | "Heat Rises" |
| Okumu | 3:26 |
10. | "Melt" |
| Barton-Wood | 4:23 |
11. | ""Sparkle" God Help Me" |
| Archer | 1:32 |
12. | "Safety Net" |
| Hadley | 4:33 |
13. | "Tears" |
| Barton-Wood | 3:16 |
14. | "Monsters Under the Bed" | Yanya | Congleton | 4:13 |
15. | "The Unordained" | Yanya | Archer | 3:22 |
16. | "Give Up Function" |
| Archer | 0:41 |
17. | "Heavyweight Champion of the Year" | Yanya |
| 4:42 |
Total length: | 52:57 |
Notes
- Track 1 is stylised as "WWAY HEALTH™"
- Track 11 is stylised as ""Sparkle" GOD HELP ME"
Personnel
Musicians
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Technical personnel
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References
- Mylrea, Hannah (February 25, 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya's debut album is a 'Black Mirror'-infused nightmare wrapped in lush indie-rock". NME. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- "Nilüfer Yanya – Miss Universe". Triple J. March 24, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- Snapes, Laura (March 22, 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya: Miss Universe". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- Smith, Patrick (March 21, 2019). "Album reviews: Nilüfer Yanya – Miss Universe and Lucy Rose – No Words Left". The Independent. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- Rettig, James (March 19, 2019). "Album Of The Week: Nilüfer Yanya Miss Universe". Stereogum. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- Bray, Elisa (March 24, 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya interview: 'I get imposter syndrome a lot'". The Independent. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- "Miss Universe by Nilüfer Yanya reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- "Miss Universe by Nilüfer Yanya Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- Monger, Timothy. "Miss Universe – Nilüfer Yanya". AllMusic. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- Hansen, Susan (March 20, 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya – Miss Universe". Clash. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- Petridis, Alexis (March 14, 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya: Miss Universe review – anxiety dreams from a true original". The Guardian. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
- Worthy, Stephen (April 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya: Miss Universe". Mojo (305): 86.
- Mylrea, Hannah (March 22, 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya – 'Miss Universe' review". NME. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
- Morris, Damien (March 24, 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya: Miss Universe review – hilariously talented". The Observer. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- Monroe, Jazz (May 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya: Miss Universe". Q (397): 116.
- Deusner, Stephen (April 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya: Miss Universe". Uncut (263): 39.
- Greenwood, Douglas (March 22, 2019). "The Universe Belongs to Nilüfer Yanya". Noisey. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- Bromwich, Kathryn (June 11, 2017). "One to watch: Nilüfer Yanya". The Guardian. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- Pitchfork. "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- "Ultratop.be – Nilüfer Yanya – Miss Universe" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 30, 2019.