Lily Minke Tahar, the creative force behind the project YEARN, emerges with her striking debut album Shapeshifter, released on July 11th, 2025 on Doe Records. This evocative body of work finds its roots in a series of vivid, recurring dreams that haunted Tahar during a period marked by depression and financial hardship. Night after night, an enigmatic, robed figure—faceless yet deeply familiar—visited her in these dreams, stirring a profound sense of longing, or “saudade.” It was through these nightly encounters that Tahar began to sense a missing piece in her life, something essential and just out of reach, setting her on a journey of self-discovery and transformation.
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The album’s title track, “Shapeshifter,” was born in just over a week, inspired by the fantastical storytelling of Italo Calvino’s Cosmicomics. Channeling the spirit of Calvino’s dimension-hopping protagonist, Tahar crafted the song with a humble guitar riff, an old acoustic amp, and a $30 microphone—embracing a lo-fi, boundaryless approach that allowed the music to flow freely. Experimenting with string tunings and digital artifacts, she has unearthed unusual timbres that have become signature elements throughout the album. This raw, sketch-like production style forms the backbone of Shapeshifter, lending each track a sense of authenticity and immediacy.
Tahar’s jazz roots are woven into the fabric of the album, with dazzling runs and articulations that surprise and delight. Shapeshifter traverses genres and moods, blending the intimate warmth of bedroom recordings with the kaleidoscopic energy of studio sessions—all performed by Tahar herself, with production support from engineer Sam Wesner. The result is a soundscape that feels both fresh and timeless, seamlessly merging familiar influences with bold new directions. Standout tracks include “Shapeshifter,” “Midnight Mine,” and “DTL.”
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Before YEARN, Tahar honed her craft under the name Minke, releasing Reject Modernity in 2021 and exploring new sonic territories with her Akai MPC. She later joined the Seattle-based project Day Soul Exquisite, led by Francesca Eluhu, further expanding her skills as a multi-instrumentalist. In 2022, Tahar underwent a personal transition, using music as a vital outlet for catharsis and growth during this pivotal time. Shapeshifter is both a reflection of that transformative journey and a tribute to everything that has shaped her artistry so far.
With Shapeshifter, Lily Minke Tahar invites listeners into a world where dreams and reality intertwine, and where music becomes a vessel for healing, exploration, and self-actualization.
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Main Photo- Ettie Wahl
Album Photo by Shannon Sullivan
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