Sosyete ’25 – Oyun

Sosyete ’25 are back with “Oyun”, the second single from their debut album Yaygara, due on Tru Thoughts. Where their debut single “Bilmece” (W10) held its breath in a slow-burning haze, “Oyun” moves differently. It leans into disco-funk, keeps the wink in the title (it means play in Turkish), and makes the argument with its feet rather than its hands.

The trio behind it are Istanbul-born vocalist and songwriter Merve Erdem (Kit Sebastian, Brainfeeder), Brighton-based guitarist and producer Glenn Fallows (Globeflower Masters, Mr Bongo), and Suffolk-based producer and composer Paul Elliott. His credits run from Call Sender and Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band to Asha Puthli and Shawn Lee. Together they’ve been building something they call Mediterranean disco pop and outernational funk, which is a fair description of the territory “Oyun” occupies — though neither label fully captures what it sounds like when the three lock in.

Merve wrote the track in Turkish, as she writes everything, and the phrasing carries a lightness that the subject earns. She’s pushing back against the pressure to be everything to everyone, to slot into every role expected of you, and the track makes that feel less like a manifesto than a small act of self-preservation. The repetition that runs through much of Yaygara is here too — phrases loop back until they feel shared, less like lyrics and more like something you’d chant with a room full of people. On “Oyun”, that quality sits naturally in the groove rather than demanding attention.

Paul’s production pushes the rhythm forward without letting the track get stiff. Glenn’s guitar and bass interlock in the way that makes Sosyete ’25’s records feel grounded even when they’re moving fast. The whole thing has the lightness of someone making a serious point without needing you to take it seriously. I find that balance harder to pull off than it looks, and they do it well here.

Yaygara — the Turkish word for commotion or uproar — is shaping up as one to watch closely. The singles have mapped out a band with genuine range: from the slow-burning riddle of “Bilmece” to the disco-funk of “Oyun”, neither track sounds like it’s straining to define a style.