Roya

Persian/Israeli singer Liraz was a Songlines cover star in 2020 courtesy of her sophomore album Zan, a border-busting work in which shimmering electro-pop met pulsing dance rhythms and retro Persian sonics. Several Iranian musicians also collaborated anonymously online, risking imprisonment or worse – particularly since Iran is a sworn enemy of Israel. Such cultural activism, along with her singular sound and charismatic live performances, helped win Liraz the Best Artist award in the 2021 SonglinesMusic Awards. A hard act to follow, indeed, but Liraz has outdone herself – her new third album Roya is easily her best recording yet. Recorded in top secret in a basement in Istanbul with her gender-balanced Israeli sextet (three women, three men) and the same clutch of anonymous men and women from Tehran on viola, violin and tar (lute), Roya (Fantasy) benefits from the tension that risk supplies.

The music co-written with Ilan Smilan and Brauner Kinrot feels earthier, more organic; gone are the sometimes tinny beats of yore. Synth-driven tracks such as ‘Tanha’, a slow, lonely song about Iran and falling boundaries, and the psychedelic ‘Azizam’ with its wah-wah guitars and glittery electronics unfurl and swirl in ways touching and joyous. Persian lyrics (all of them written by Liraz) nod to the mysticism of Rumi while staying present and fierce: the hallucinogenic title-track tells of hope, both as the opener and – on an all-female live version – in closing. Stunning.