‘Enkaz’ is a deeply emotional farewell to Merve’s grandfather, who passed away last year. Living in different countries, they never had the chance to say a final goodbye, and this song became her way of grappling with that unspoken parting. The lyrics capture the raw ache of distance, loss, and the grief of being separated by miles at the moment of his passing. Written as a way to process the pain of his absence, Enkaz explores the deep desire to hold on to a loved one who has gone, while also acknowledging the inevitability of learning to let go. It’s a journey through the understanding that those we love, even after they’ve left us, remain a part of our lives in an unbreakable, profound way. The lyrics express the conflict of love that lingers in absence—both a desire to keep them close and the acceptance that they will always live on in our hearts, memories, and the quiet spaces they once filled.
Some of the footage in the lyric video was captured in the UK, reflecting Merve’s current life away from her family, while it also includes a personal journey—a drive from her family flat in Istanbul to her grandfather’s home.
“Enkaz was recorded directly onto a 1/4″ tape on a Fostex machine. It has a rougher, less polished sound to our last album, with instruments being pushed into the red on mixers and tape machines.”
The track was composed in response to listening to the Egyptian greats: Umm Kulthum and Abdel Halim Hafez, particularly their orchestras. Abdel Halim’s orchestra had Magdy El Hossainy on a Farfisa organ and Omar Khorshid on guitar, which are the main inspirations for the sonic timbre of this song. The Farfisa organ was de-tuned to be able to play a certain Arabic maqam. The piano was played in a way to gesture the sound of a qanun.
Kit Sebastian, composed of K. Martin and Merve Erdem, released their new album New Internationale earlier this year in September via Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder record label. The record served as a neat summary of the sounds and styles that have long tantalised the duo—French pop and Anatolian psych, vintage Tropicália and early rock ’n’ roll, with breezes of soul and prog blowing through the open windows of the pair’s collective imagination. In October they embarked out on a triumphant headline tour throughout the UK and Europe with stops in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich and more.
Praise for ‘New Internationale’ came from that bastion of the worldwide underground: the Bandcamp Weekly who interviewed the band here and praised their freeform approach. Plus the likes of KCRW, KEXP, BBC 6 Music, JazzFM, Radio-X, FIP, France Inter, WDR Cosmo, Line of Best Fit, Musikexpress (DE), Les Inrocks, Bant Mag and Shindig! Magazine who note that “Kit Martin and Merve Erdem are back with their strongest set of songs to date”. Additional support from Ones To Watch, Far Out Magazine (“a spectacular fusion”), Somewhere Soul, Album of the Month at UK indie DRIFT (“a lush and heady sound that is as timeless as it is vibrant”) and many more.
Watch the lyric video below:
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