Sandstorms

There is something atmospheric and almost cinematic about this track from Atlanta-based Ethiopian-American artist Mereba — the production suggesting both the literal sandstorm of its title and the disorientation of a life rearranging itself without permission. Her voice, breathy and intimate with a quality that suggests proximity even in large speakers, moves through the melody as if navigating by feel. The arrangement borrows from multiple traditions simultaneously: the acoustic warmth of folk, the rhythmic sensibility of afrobeats and diaspora music, a production aesthetic that sits between the earthly and the cosmic. Lyrically it uses natural disruption as a framework for personal transformation, the sandstorm erasing familiar landmarks and leaving the question of who you are when the landscape is unrecognizable. Best heard during transitional moments — airports, moving through a city you don't know well, the afternoon of the last day of something.