Gashxi

 

Verse

A magazine with never-ending pages

It contains adverts which chase me around

They caught up to me and tripped me up

Search for your ground

Hands on your heart

 

Chorus

Come along above love

Music that protects us

Music to protect us from our inner demons

A band that lifts us from skyscrapers.

 

Verse II

A building without an infrastructure

An ad without an ending

They finish what I have to say, as if expressing my thoughts.

Stabilize my body

With my hands are on my heart.

 

CH

We built a high fence

A shadow protecting us from our neighbors’ evils

A band protecting us from our inner demons

 

BRIDGE

 

Chorus

We built Kuwaisiana.

We built Kuwaisiana.

 

Songs which distance us from our inner demons

A wall protecting us from the sins of America

گشِّي

Verse I

مجلّة صفحاتها ما تخلص

فيها إعلانات تلحقني

وُصَلّتي تشان تعرقلني

دوّر ارضك / إيدك على قلبك

 

CH I

تعالو فوق الهواء

موسيقى تحمينّا من شرور نفوسنا

فرقة ترفعنا من ناطحات سحّاب

 

VII

بناية بدون هيكل

دعاية بدون نهاية

تكمّل كلامي, كأنها تعبّرعن أفكاري.

يوّد گشّي

إيدي على قلبي

 

CH II

بنينا سور عالي

ظلٌ يحمينا من شرور جيرانا

فرقة تحمينا من شرور نفوسنا

BRIDGE

CH III

بنينا كويزيانا

أغاني تبعدنا من شرور نفوسنا

طوفة تحمينا من ذنوب أمريكا

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