May 22, 2025 1 min read

๐ŸŽง Approved: nabeel (ู†ุจูŠู„)

nabeel (ู†ุจูŠู„)โ€™s lyrics carry the compact intensity of Arabic poetry, set against a backdrop of shoegaze and slowcore influences of Richmond, Virginia. New single โ€˜yalma ูŠู„ู…ุนโ€™ is a meditation on ephemerality and the ache of belonging when suspended between two worlds.

๐ŸŽง Approved: nabeel (ู†ุจูŠู„)
Photo credit: Chez Goodspeed

In the spirit of Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder, nabeel (ู†ุจูŠู„) channels the weight of grunge into a voice deeply rooted in personal identity and cultural duality. 

Born from Virginiaโ€™s DIY scene and shaped by frontman Yasir Razakโ€™s journey through slowcore, pop and college rock, nabeel (ู†ุจูŠู„) was created as a vessel to reconcile Razakโ€™s experience as a first-generation immigrant. 

Choosing to write and sing entirely in Arabic, with English translations offered side-by-side, his lyrics carry the compact intensity of Arabic poetry, set against a backdrop of typically Western indie textures.

New single โ€˜yalma ูŠู„ู…ุนโ€™ is a meditation on ephemerality and the ache of belonging when suspended between two worlds. Rooted in the shoegaze and slowcore influences of Richmond, Virginia, the track builds from a gentle glimmer into a crushing, transcendent crescendo โ€“ heavy with yearning.

The track โ€œis about resting in a kind of stillness - wanting to hold onto that feeling - when everything seems to glimmerโ€, says Razak.

๐ŸŽง Listen to โ€˜yalma - ูŠู„ู…ุนโ€™ below

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