Some Help From Above

Habibi “Somewhere They Can’t Find Us”

We’re only just now starting to hear a lot of the music that was written during the darkest depths of the pandemic, which is interesting because it’s as close as we can get to a collective writing prompt for a massive chunk of the world’s musicians. Do you confront it head on and Say Something About It, do you just move on with what you’d ordinarily do, do you question everything you’ve done before, do you embrace limitations or chafe against them? I figure a lot of artists just fully shut down through this and we’ll never really know, though fully shutting down is also a valid artistic response to the situation.

Habibi’s new single “Somewhere They Can’t Find Us” was written mid-pandemic and while it’s not exactly screaming “I’M A PANDEMIC SONG” it’s very apparent in the tone and lyrics. The music aims for physical catharsis – big groovy beat, slinky bass, a classic indie club banger in the mold of The Slits or Delta 5. It sounds like four isolated people willing a party into existence. The words are more grim, evoking the bleakest days in New York City when “sirens sound day and night” was not at all an understatement. Despite that anchor in a time and place, the lyrical concerns are fairly evergreen – a desire for escape and community, an impulse to help others even if you end up giving more than you take. In a low key way, it resolves on a prayer to God.

Buy it from Bandcamp.