Gumar

Building off of the themes of her most recent album, Medieval Femme, Fatima Al Qadiri’s forthcoming release sees her pairing up with fellow Kuwaiti vocalist Gumar. The EP —also titled Gumar, Arabic for "moon"— is a homage to the influence of lamentation singing that both Fatima and Gumar grew up with and as a teenager, Gumar was formally trained in. On these four short songs, Fatima provides a minimal counterpoint to Gumar's elegant vocals, a coalescence that powerfully and sympathetically complements and extends with cosmic depth. Serious and mournful in tone, the record ruminates on the subject of unrequited love, arguably the most common theme in Arabic music past and present. The cover is an original artwork by Kuwaiti artist Khalid al Gharaballi, Fatima's bestie and long-time collaborator.