Arabic rock band El Morabba3 talk second album

When El Morabba3 started out in 2009, they were just four guys jamming out together. “Nothing serious,” says songwriter and vocalist Mohammed Abdulla.

But nowadays, it’s difficult not to take them seriously. Arabic rock bands are a rare gem, especially those who sing in Arabic, and a band that does it as masterfully as El Morabba3 (the square) is too precious to stay buried.

Down to three members — Abdulla (from Palestine) on bass, Odai Shawagfeh (from Jordan) on electric guitar and keys/synth, and his brother Dirar Shawagfeh on drums — the band is getting ready to release a follow-up to their 2012 self-titled debut. With a distribution deal from Universal Music Mena, the sophomore album, Taraf Al Khait (tip of a thread), is set to drop on September 9.

For now, fans can listen to the band’s latest single Ilham [inspiration] while Abdulla tells Gulf News tabloid! what else is in store.

How will Taraf Al Khait be different from your debut record?

We added a lot of electronic elements. We tried different instrumentation using string section, trumpet and female vocals in some tracks. Each song has its own world in terms of the theme, and the lyrics are dreamy, melancholic, socially relevant and sometimes political, as we cannot detach ourselves from the politics around us.

What’s the song you’re most looking forward to people hearing?

I think that would be El Bath El Haii.

There’s not a lot of visible rock bands in the Arab world, especially those who sing in Arabic. Where do you get your inspiration from?

Actually, in recent years the independent music scene in the Arab world has been booming and a good handful of bands appeared. Our inspiration comes from various music styles that we’ve been absorbing as we grew up. We really can’t limit ourselves to certain influences. It’s too broad. Plus, Arabic music is so rich and we feel proud and lucky to be able to utilise our Arabic heritage into our own style.

Who are the other acts out there that you would say are doing something similar?

There are a lot but to name a few, Masar Igbari from Egypt and Mashrou Leila from Lebanon are bands that we respect for their musicianship and the message they portray. Both are politically and socially aware.

Can you tell us a little about your early years? How did you discover your musical inclinations?

I have always been into music. I used to play around on the organ at home from [an] early age. I liked to come up with my own compositions, depending on my musical ear. No musicians in the family. [I] started joining and founding bands from the age of 17. Odai, the guitarist, studied music in college, and he teaches it as well. His father is a well-known scriptwriter and director who wrote many series and plays back in the days in Jordan. Derar, the drummer, happens to be Odai’s brother — they both used to jam together and play in the same bands. Derar is a director and filmmaker as well.

Where did you get the name El Morabba3 from? And what’s behind the name Taraf Al Khait?

A: We used to be four members, and one of our friends once referred to us spontaneously as El Morabba3, ‘the square’, because we are four. We decided to go with it temporarily until we come up with another name — we just never did. [Over] time, we liked the symmetry and perfection in [the] square as a shape which you could never find in nature. As for Taraf Al Khait [tip of a thread], the idea is to say that we are at the beginning, or just getting started, and there’s still more to come and solve.

*Listen to the band’s latest single, Ilham, on soundcloud.com/elmorabba3/ilham-1