While many online performance shows have gained a lot of traction in the last few years; everyone’s seen at least one episode of NPR’s Tiny Desk Series, COLORSxSTUDIO’s unique aesthetic took socials by storm, triple j’s Like a Version consistently goes viral with its genuinely great (Denzel Curry’s take on ‘Bulls on Parade’ sticks out to me) and wackier (it’d be rude not to mention The Wiggles cover of Elephant…) covers. But From the Basement strips back the gimmicks and charges straight in with the music. No audience, no time wasting… just get in there and show us what you’ve got. That’s what makes this show special; the music.

In a statement, Godrich commented on the return of the basement, “What a pleasure it has been doing this again!” adding, “I’m still just a fan, still super excited to have the opportunity to film all these great artists and have loved making these new shows. After being so busy doing other things I felt that the time was right to rekindle this idea… to somehow bring it into the present, but the same rules apply now as they did then… no audience or presenter… just a direct connection with the viewer and a chance for us to take some time to do something special in a controlled environment… the priority being to make it sound and look great….”

The series comes in association with Sonos Radio and We Transfer, while the streams will all be available online for free here, We Transfer will offer an additional song for each artist with a subscription to the site. Sonos Radio will also be broadcasting complete sets, both new and old, for the foreseeable future.

WeTransfer has partnered with @nigelgod‘s From The Basement and Sonos Radio to bring you six new performances from some of the world’s most extraordinary artists and bands. First episode premieres June 1. See you there. pic.twitter.com/WjS3tZhgaY

— WeTransfer (@WeTransfer) May 25, 2022

Beginning with lead single ‘Crash‘, the collection is launched into distorted guitar and drums which clearly portray the song’s title, with the lyrics, “If you ask me one more question, I’m about to crash.” The track was produced by Nick Hakim and made an appearance on the Radio 1 show Future Sounds With Annie Mac as her Hottest Record in the World on the day of its release.

Speaking directly to Annie Mac on the radio show, Nanya discussed her writing process: “I started writing it last year and it was a pretty busy year for me. I was just touring a lot, playing lots of shows – I think I actually started writing it on the road which I don’t normally ever do, so that was a first.”

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As a whole, ‘Feeling Lucky?’ explores themes of good, bad, and the unpredictability of both. Yanya said in a press release, “One of the songs had the theme of luck in it as a concept but then I realised they all do. That got me thinking about luck in general; good and bad.”

These themes are continued on ‘Same Damn Luck’, co-written by Will Archer, which sees the artists singing about a break up with some surprising comparisons to the current restrictions in the UK due to Covid-19. For example, “News, all bad news lately/Every single time that you called and said/”Girl, stay in, they all knew, they all knew/I told you, I told.” The music video for ‘Same Damn Luck’ was also released today to coincide with the EP.

According to a press release, the singer had this to say about the song: “I hadn’t quite escaped what I thought I previously had. A personal reminder in the form of a pop ballad that the past is never that far away and will regularly come back to haunt you.”

The last song of the EP is ‘Day 7.5093′, taking a groovy approach to the instrumental with a walking bass line and a chorus consisting entirely of the word “Yeah” sung repetitively in Yanya’s intriguing breathy voice. Its first appearance was in July when it was performed live on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert which Yanya took part in. It was later released on Bandcamp in October for only 24 hours for the Good Music To Avert The Collapse of American Democracy Comp.

‘Crash’ has been hugely anticipated and was well-received by fans. Musically, the song reflects the title well with its crashing drums and distorted guitar, while on the other hand Nanya’s vocals are clean and reserved to contrast. The music video was also released yesterday, and has already gained close to 8,000 views. In the visual, the lyrics are taken literally as the singer is found performing from a control room dressed as a flight attendant.

Nanya explained the premise of the single and the video to Pitchfork, saying “Last year, doing a lot of touring I found myself becoming more and more anxious each time I boarded a plane, something which was new for me as I’ve never had a fear of flying. With each flight we took it felt like the turbulence was getting worse and I was convinced my luck was due to run out. I didn’t write ‘Crash’ about being on an aeroplane but I really like it visually as an embodiment of the song.”

Speaking directly to Annie Mac on the radio show, Nanya discussed her writing process: “I started writing it last year and it was a pretty busy year for me. I was just touring a lot, playing lots of shows – I think I actually started writing it on the road which I don’t normally ever do, so that was a first.” It was also confirmed that there are two more tracks on the way, which will form an EP along with ‘Crash’, to be titled ‘Feeling Lucky?’.

Along with ‘Crash’, Mac played a song from Nanya’s 2019 album ‘Miss Universe’: ‘Heavyweight Champion of the Year’. As detailed by the presenter, the debut album was widely acclaimed, and it was noted by many that Nanya has an incredible ability to move between musical styles.

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C R A S H out now on all platforms:) Produced by @en_hakim Means a lot more to be able to release music this year in this strange worrrrld than any other time so thank you for listening xxx @apocalypticvirgin thanks for the photoooo

A post shared by Nilufer Yanya (@niluferyanyaaaaaa) on Oct 20, 2020 at 10:16am PDT