''Shabrang'' (Persian for "night color") is the second studio album by Dutch-Iranian singer

Sevdaliza Sevda Alizadeh (; born 1 September 1987), known professionally as Sevdaliza, is an Iranian-Dutch singer, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and director. In 2015, she released two EPs, ''The Suspended Kid'' and ''Children of Silk''. Whil ...

. It was released on 28 August 2020, by Twisted Elegance. The singer wrote and produced the album, primarily alongside Mucky. The album encompasses

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theory, art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, film, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre dra ...

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

and

alternative R&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, and originally known as PBR&B, hipster R&B, emo R&B, or R-Neg-B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and ...

. The album spawned the singles "Darkest Hour", "Oh My God", "Lamp Lady", "Joanna" and "Habibi", as well as "Human Nature", which was originally released as part of Sevdaliza's 2018 extended play '' The Calling'', her previous release. The album cover was shot by Tré Koch. Upon its release, ''Shabrang'' was met with critical acclaim. Critics praised its emotional background, and its "slow-moving beauty".

Background

On 7 March 2019, Sevdaliza released "Darkest Hour", followed by another single "Martyr" on 11 April. The two were thought to be standalone singles, however "Darkest Hour" would appear on digital copies of ''Shabrang''. She would continue to subtly tease new music and visuals throughout the year. In February 2020, Sevdaliza revealed that she had been working on her then unannounced sophomore album for the past two years, alongside close and frequent collaborators Mucky, Leon Den Engelsen and Mihai Puscoiu.

Style

Compared to her previous

releases, ''Shabrang'' witnesses Sevdaliza moving through different musical styles, from

to trip hop, as well as

Release

On 7 March 2019, Sevdaliza released "Darkest Hour", which at its time of release, was believed to be a standalone single. On 30 January 2020, Sevdaliza released the

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for protest and social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. ...

"Oh My God". On 10 March, Sevdaliza announced the release of single "Lamp Lady". It was released 18 March. On 23 May, Sevdaliza announced the release of single "Joanna". A day before its release, Sevdaliza took to her Instagram stories to express her love towards the song, saying, "I wrote the song in 2018 and it's grown to be one of my favorite compositions. "Joanna" was released 27 May, alongside an accompanying music video, directed by Marlou Fernanda & Sevdaliza. Sevdaliza announced ''Shabrang'' on 30 July. In a statement about the album, Sevdaliza said: The song "Rhode" was made available to listen early the same day as the album's announcement, exclusively on the streaming platform

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

or if the album was pre-ordered on Apple Music. On 19 August, Sevdaliza released the single "Habibi", and announced an upcoming accompanying music video for the single. The music video was released 26 August and is directed by the "creative directing duo", sevda+ana, which consists of Sevdaliza and Russian filmmaker Anastasia Konovalova. The duo also plan to direct visuals separate from Sevdaliza's work. Audio and music publication MusicNGear listed ''Shabrang'' as one of the best albums from 2020, stating that "the songs have a poetic and parable-esque quality to them - creating a chilling and alluring soundscape."

Track listing

Notes * "Darkest Hour" does not appear on physical editions of the album. * "Gole Bi Goldoon" is a cover of "Gole Bee Goldoon", performed by

Googoosh Faegheh Atashin (; born 5 May 1950), known professionally as Googoosh (, ), is an Iranian singer and former actress. Regarded as a pop icon, she is one of the most popular and prolific entertainers in Iran, and her career has spanned over six de ...

. * "Human Nature" has been updated since its original release on the 2018 extended play '' The Calling''. It is 53 seconds shorter in length and features new string sections.

Personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes. * Composed by: Sevdaliza, Mucky, Leon Den Engelsen, Mihai Puscoiu, Joel Dieleman, Raven Aartsen, Ludowic * Mixed by: Sevdaliza and Mucky * Mastered by: Mucky

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2020 albums Sevdaliza albums