Big Crown Records is proud to present Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek’s debut 7” offering on the label. They came to New York in June of 2024 to record their new album at The Diamond Mine Studio in Queens with Leon Michels handling production. These are the first two tunes from those sessions and they are very telling of what is to come on the new album.
The A side “Cool Hand” is a beautiful juxtaposition of intensity and lightheartedness with lyrics that explore the depths of unrequited love while the music is uplifting and bright. Derya’s passionate vocals and maverick Saz playing ride atop the band’s infectious groove as she conjures images of pink mountains and unbloomed yellow tulips. The message is poetic and complicated, repeatedly declaring “I love you, I’m crazy about you” but ultimately finding a sense of peace through accepting a broken heart.
The B side “Yakamoz” is a deeply moving song that captures the profound emotions connected to displacement and loss. The lyrics tell the story of someone who had to leave their home, the place of their roots, out of necessity and is uncertain if they will ever return. A sense of irreversible departure is echoed in the recurring lines, “I can’t go back home again, I can’t look back.” The steady groove of the band, along with the anguished vocals paint a vivid picture of the devastation experienced by the protagonist who ultimately realizes that her roots are within her and anywhere she goes is her home.
