The voice of Pakistan-born, New York-based musician Arooj Aftab, seduces and confounds. She articulates her singular sound by blending elements of Pakistani classical music with folk-acoustic and trance. “Mohabbat,” the lead single from her forthcoming album Vulture Prince, is her take on a famous lyric poem. In it, she strips back the instrumentation and elongates her words, beautifully drawing out the consuming sadness of separation from a lover. Over the slow burn of nearly eight minutes, “Mohabbat” draws you into a world of magic and mystery, each verse piling layer upon layer of emotion until we have reached our Damascene moment. An early contender for track of the year.
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