Bird Under Water

The Pakistani composer Arooj Aftab has been gaining momentum since she left Lahore for Berklee College of Music in 2005. She has shared the stage with the likes of Arif Lohar and Esperanza Spalding and built up a strong online fan-base over the past eight years. With compelling vocals bringing her mesmerising compositions to life, this album has been worth the wait.

Aftab describes her music as ‘neo-Sufi’ and, as well as singing well-known Sufi poetry, Aftab embodies Sufi philosophy within her arrangements: the unity and transience of all things is articulated in the interweaving of guitar, accordion, bansuri (flute) and trumpet. These free-flowing ambient tracks are seamless enough to fit into Pakistan's strong Sufi tradition and novel enough to carve their own niche within it. From her refreshing rendition of ‘Man Kunto Maula’ to her plaintive ‘Na Ja Balam Pardes’, Bird Under Water is a captivating debut.