9 August, 2023Print
Doomed Infatuation That Goes Off In The Club: Berhana Shares The Agile, Percussive “Like a Habit”
Watch the “Like a Habit” Video HERE
New Album Amén የዘላን ህልም (The Nomad’s Dream) (EQT Recordings)
Today, Berhana announces his new album Amén የዘላን ህልም (The Nomad’s Dream) (EQT Recordings), due for release this fall. He also shares “Like a Habit,” a tale of doomed infatuation that pairs agile percussion with the candy-colored synth fantasias of The Neptunes. It falls somewhere between the momentous push-and-pull of vintage vocal house and the lush soundscapes of Janet Jackson’s more club-centric Y2K-era hits, but Berhana puts a distinct stamp on it with his yearning croon and agile verses.
Watch the “Like A Habit” music video — which stars Berhana driving an unruly carload of friends in front of a 90s sitcom-style green screen —here.
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Amén crafts a narrative arc around personal and romantic maturation as filtered through Berhana’s own personal journey. Through trips to Addis Ababa and deep dives at Ethiopian record stores, he began to foster a deeper appreciation for his culture — and for the East African diaspora at large. The album shines a spotlight on East African music as it features unique scales and instruments rooted in the Horn of Africa, combining those with modern, psychedelically swayed R&B production. These themes will be further explored in a short film accompanying the album that will debut in New York City at The Roxy Cinema on Thursday, September 14. More information about the film and additional screenings to come soon. The album’s lead single “Gone” — which LA tastemaker station KCRWdescribes as "icy cool, while simultaneously nice and warm...inviting, enticing, and giving good vibes only at the cookout” and Paste calls "a great metaphor for the resilience and determination of the African diaspora" — pays tribute to Abebe Bikila, the Ethiopian Olympic marathoner who, while running barefoot, won Gold medals in back-to-back Olympics in the 1960s.
"Gone"'s cinematic black & white video is set in an Ethiopian speakeasy.Watch it here. |
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