“Time”
Narcy ft. Mashrou’ Leila
Two of the biggest name’s from the region’s alternative music scene join forces on this powerful track taken from Iraqi-Canadian rapper Narcy’s upcoming album “Spacetime.” Instrumentation and an Arabic-language chorus from Lebanese indie heroes Mashrou’ Leila and Narcy’s customary quickfire English-language rap make for an intriguing and engaging mix, and the track gets space-y weird toward the end with a heavily Autotuned Narcy vocal.
“Dead Pets, Old Griefs”
Interbellum
The second album from the Lebanese indie outfit led by singer-songwriter Charlie Rayne (or Karl Matar as he’s known when working as Interbellum). While the band’s 2016 debut “Now Try Coughing” had the exhilarating feel of a record knocked off in a couple of hours in someone’s garage, “Dead Pets, Old Griefs” has a (slightly) more polished sound, but is still heavy with distortion and dissonance. And Rayne’s melodic skills and knack for a stop-you-in-your-tracks lyric shine through once again.
“Lonely At Night”
Noush Like Sploosh
The Dubai-based multidisciplinary artist has an ambitious plan for her debut album, “Whimcycle.” She will release a video for each of its 10 songs. “Lonely At Night” is the second in the series. The beautifully drawn stop-motion animation is the perfect accompaniment for the dark drama of Noush’s song about working yourself to the bone to avoid facing up to anxiety and depression.
