Nabihah Iqbal

Weighing of the Heart Nabihah Iqbal Standard edition

Announcing her debut album on Ninja Tune, Nabihah Iqbal leaves her old moniker behind and embraces the name she was born with. Formerly known as Throwing Shade, 'Weighing of the Heart' is a big statement in two ways: first, because she's taken her real name to stand proudly as a female British Asian artist making music and secondly, because she's moved her music in a bolder, more expansive direction.

Channeling influences from krautrock and postpunk, she melds moody, propulsive basslines with shimmering synth atmospheres. The title alludes to an Ancient Egyptian myth about judgement and the afterlife, the concept of which underlies various ideas that are explored throughout the album. Making her first longplayer with these themes in mind, she's honed a sound with a greater focus on live instruments (of which she has played them all). A notable addition to the sound is the guitar, which she's been increasingly incorporating into her live shows. Often fed through heavy effects, it provides a counterbalance to the soft focus, hazy aura of the record.

Recorded in her studio space the album was mixed by Studio 13's Stephen Sedgwick, who works closely with Damon Albarn and who mixed the most recent Gorillaz album 'Humanz'.

The album's intertwining styles are underpinned by Iqbal's writing, drawing on themes of existential doubt, pondering the struggles and pleasures which mark day-to-day life.