Nabihah Iqbal WEIGHING OF THE HEART

For her debut album, Weighing of the Heart, Nabihah Iqbal drops her alias Throwing Shade in favour of her birth name, a creative decision weighted with symbolism in light of the spiritual themes that underpin the work. The title and cover art allude to an ancient Egyptian ritual of religious judgement and Iqbal’s lyrics are embedded with meditations regarding life and meaning, explored poetically and often with a level of abstraction.

‘Zone 1 to 6000’ is reminiscent of William Blake as it details the bustle of crowds on an average night in London, crowds that have lost their sense of purpose and stagnate in unquestioned routine. Similarly, ‘Something More’ touches on this perceived sense of spiritual malnourishment, but again akin to the great romantic poet, Iqbal seems to suggest that salvation can still be found when engaging with the more transcendental aspects of human existence: love, dreams and music.

But despite implied social criticism in the lyrics, the instrumentation on this album is resolutely tranquil, rather than biting. The vocals are anything but intrusive, almost whispered behind the unconventional medley of pensive guitar riffs, synths and dance beats, which are elegantly brought together. Tracks like ‘Eden Piece’ are completely devoid of lyrics and seem to encourage the listener to reflect on their own life, their own thoughts of existential unrest, which stalk us all like shadows through our daily lives, but to our detriment often go unaddressed.