Yarın Yoksa (“If There Is No Tomorrow”) is Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek’s fourth studio album, a heartwarming and groovy record in which the band continues to deepen its sound. Playing together since 2014, the band has made a name for itself with its soulful, psychedelic Anatolian folk, recording original compositions as well as covers of traditional songs.

This album is the first the band didn’t record themselves, having instead captured it at Diamond Mine Studios in New York with Big Crown Records, a label known for representing contemporary soul artists. The band is a strong and fitting addition to the label’s roster, and the album is well crafted under the production of label owner Leon Michels.

Opening with the pensive ‘Çiçek Açıyor’ (“Blooming Flower”), the album flows through a range of moods and themes, including love, loss and resistance to oppression. ‘Cool Hand’ sounds like a breezy summer hit, until you realise its tragic lyrics tell of being consumed by love but having to accept heartbreak. Yıldırım’s vocals range from delicate on ‘Yakamoz’ to bold in the protest song ‘Direne Direne’, but are always full of emotion. ’Yüz Yüze’, the shortest track, is a delicious instrumental in 5/8 time, showcasing Grup Şimşek’s fantastic blend of dreamy synth, cinematic textures and warm bass, shaped by guitarist/bassist Antonin Voyant, keyboardist Graham Mushnik and drummer Helen Wells.

Yıldırım wrote the lyrics in collaboration with her long-term creative partner (and cousin), writer Duygu Ağal, and Berlin-based filmmaker Tuğçe Kep, both of whom also sing backing vocals on the album. Alongside their own compositions, the band includes two traditional folk songs, ‘Hop Bico’ and ‘Misket’, as well as ‘Ceylan’ (“Mother Deer”). ‘Ceylan’ is a version of revered Turkish folk musician, poet and bağlama player Neşet Ertaş’ song ‘Kova Kova İndirdiler Yazıya,’ which tells the story of a mother deer shot by hunters who cannot run away because of her young. The beautiful, symbolic and multilayered language so typical of Anatolian folk music (as well as many other poetic music traditions) runs throughout the album

Today’s Anatolian folk scene has migrated and flourished across the globe – in Amsterdam, London, and in the case of Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek, Berlin, South Africa and France. Yarın Yoksa is a beautifully recorded, warm collection of songs full of groove and emotion, carried by melancholic melodies and the unmistakable sound of the bağlama.

Yarın Yoksa by Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek was released via Big Crown Records on 14 March.
Give it a listen and order your copy HERE