Premiering the Music Video for Bara7a (براحة)
We started off the campaign for Chapter 2 with a bang by sharing the music video for Bara7a. We landed a superb feature on Under the Radar! Read the full lyrics before you dive in over here.
The song follows +Aziz’s experiences as an adolescent in Kuwait, delving into one of the near-universal experiences of teenage years – schoolyard bullies. +Aziz switches easily between Arabic and English as he delivers his coming of age music video story, capturing his experience with culture clash as his painted nails and black clothing earn him the ire of his classmates and he takes the burgeoning first steps towards flirting with a girl.
The song itself is emblematic of the mix of styles the band takes on, taking equally from New Orleans jazz, indie rock, and blues. With each verse the band goes down subtly shifting paths, incorporating jazzy interludes and playful hand percussion and highlighting the talents of each of the sextet.
However, the track always returns to the instantly catchy central brass riff and +Aziz’s confident vocals. The result sits in its own lane and defies easy categorization, but is undeniably captivating. Accompanying the track is a colorful video, framing the storytelling in vibrant pastels and striking visual vignettes. It also helpfully provides lyrics to the band’s monolingual listeners.
Originally published on Under the Radar by Caleb Campbell, NOV 2020.
Categories: News
Music & Lyrics
Chapter 2
Sink your teeth into Kuwaisiana’s Chapter 2 release, a 5-track exploration of Khaleeji and Arab-American identity. Working in Arabic and English, Kuwaisiana is a full-bodied band producing a danceable, dynamic sound that draws on world music and indie rock. Led by Kuwaiti singer-songwriter +Aziz, the 6-piece blends funk, rock, ska with New Orleanian jazz, adding a unique twist to what Indie Arab Rock can sound like.
Born out of +Aziz’s desire to explore parallels between American and Khaleeji cultures, Chapter 2 is the band’s followup EP to Chapter 1, which was released through Universal Music MENA. This 22-minute EP deepens the band’s exploration of the day-to-day experiences of Arab-American youth and the evolving viewpoints of Khaleejis living in the Arabian Peninsula. It will be self-released on Bandcamp and then published to streaming platforms.
Lyrically, +Aziz explores the cultures he knows so well through his metaphor-rich lyrics, which sustain a tension between conversational and a more evocative, poetic perspective. Kuwaisiana is making progress at a time when so much of the world is in flux. Give the EP a listen!
Chapter 3
This EP was recorded at Marigny Studios in New Orleans (2021) right before +Aziz’s relocation The 25-minute EP presents a full-bodied sound, mixing funk, rock, ska with New Orleanian jazz, adding a unique twist to what Indie Arab Rock can sound like. As the pandemic wore us all down, the band leader relocated to Seattle to push forward with his vision.
Chapter 1
“Kuwaisiana’s, Chapter 1, is an awesomely interesting release by an equally intriguing band from New Orleans with bridges to Kuwait who combine the vernacular of topics between there and the US southern region. They cross bread everything from Cajun to Pop music in their combination of styles that never leave out the two areas in which they’re grounded, yet they have a universal appeal in the process. Chapter 1 wins on that premise alone.” James McQuiston, Editor at NeuFutur
“Drawing fitfully from their surrounds, the septet’s sonics are bolstered by bursts of brass and the lilt of (apparently synthesized) accordion, conjuring a rootsy, Cajun vibe around +Aziz’s raw, DIY-rock approach. At the best moments, a barn-storming, street-party abandon overcomes these slightly flat, self-produced recordings… But there is a potent spice found amid this audio stew. Split into two “sides” — the first in Arabic, the second English — the lyrics on “Chapter 1” carry subtle weight as a reflection on the modern Arab experience.” Martin Wingham, Arab News
“Given the current banal state of popular music, an album and a band like Kuwaisiana are just the tonic that is needed… So here’s to Kuwaisiana for treading new ground and charting a new path. In a musical landscape that sometimes feels too cookie-cutter and too safe, Kuwaisiana are paving new ground, and hot damn, it is awe-inspiring.” Greg Robson, Step Inside This House