In the spirit of Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder, nabeel (نبيل) channels the weight of grunge into a voice deeply rooted in personal identity and cultural duality.
Born from Virginia’s DIY scene and shaped by frontman Yasir Razak’s journey through slowcore, pop and college rock, nabeel (نبيل) was created as a vessel to reconcile Razak’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 ‘yalma يلمع’ 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 – heavy with yearning.
The track “is about resting in a kind of stillness - wanting to hold onto that feeling - when everything seems to glimmer”, says Razak.
🎧 Listen to ‘yalma - يلمع’ below