Oyun
Sosyete '25

Following the warmly received debut single “Bilmece”, Sosyete ’25 announce their debut album Yaygara (Friday 22nd May) alongside the second single, “Oyun”.

Composed of songwriter and vocalist Merve Erdem (Kit Sebastian/Brainfeeder), guitarist and producer Glenn Fallows (Globeflower Masters/Mr Bongo) and producer and composer Paul Elliott (Asha Puthli/Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band/Project Gemini/Shawn Lee) who previously released the acclaimed Call Sender project on Tru Thoughts. The trio offer a vivid snapshot of their sonic world – a meeting point between Mediterranean disco-pop, outernational funk, Turkish poetry, and a shared instinct for groove and feeling.

“Oyun”, meaning play in Turkish, channels the album’s most mischievous spirit. Singer and songwriter Merve leans into humour and gentle rebellion, urging the listener to break free from the pressure to please everyone and fit into every role expected of them. Her delivery is spirited and breezy, pushing back against perfectionism with a wink, “You can’t be everything to everyone”, she says. Beneath the playfulness lies something earnest, a call to chase love, follow one’s dreams and resist the loneliness that comes from shrinking yourself to meet other people’s expectations.

Musically, “Oyun” flips into motion from the first bar. Producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul builds the groove from an early ’80s disco-funk sensibility, using it as a launchpad rather than a template. Pulsing synths set the tone in the intro, a moment Paul was determined to foreground: “Originally this sequence only happened in the middle of the track, but I wanted it right up front to pull the listener straight into the rhythm.” The track opens out around Merve’s vocals and guitarist Glenn’s chord progression, with Paul shaping the rhythm section around their interplay and adding a cheeky drum-and-percussion break at the centre of the song. The result is light-footed, melodic and effortlessly danceable.“Oyun” offers another window into Yaygara, a nine-track album that moves through emotion with cinematic sweep. Named after the Turkish word for commotion, the record explores the beautiful chaos of being human, shifting from disorientation and longing to intimacy, humour and unguarded joy.