Smooth vibes bring catchy hooks and clean, organic production, to kick off the infectious and instantly likable new EP from Habibi Bapo.
Self-titled and blending genres and cultural tones and traits with seamless ability, Habibi bursts into life with the strong groove and anthemic colours of Friends With Benefits. Immediately we’re onto a hit, an ear-worm of a pop single but one that consistently introduces some new hint of identity and personality along the way.
From hip hop to world music flavours by way of Pop, RnB, Rock and all that falls in between, this project ticks a lot of boxes. Ultimately standing tall on the strength of these hooks and the songwriting appeal overall, it’s also refreshing to hear the live crash of the drums and those seductive guitar lines alongside such mainstream threads.
Make Love follows on beautifully, with all of these eclectic qualities and a notably heavier edge of energy to raise the bar. Always the Habibi voice remains recognizable – whether fast-paced or gentle and reflective, that central character reaches out.
For Mercedes we mellow out for an acoustic beach-side reflection and further twists of sound-play from various other genres and styles. Then Who Knew delves all the more so into the heartfelt observations and contemplations of our protagonist. Lyrically fearless in its vulnerability and poetic references alike, the song shines light on yet another side of Habibi.
Worthy guitar riffs and trap rhythms elevate and juxtapose the darker sentiments of Lies, along with an unexpectedly heavy rock build-up for the latter half, and then we turn towards modern rap for the closing song Ana. Something of a familiar hip hop offering but still with that smoothness of production and voice, Ana makes for an effective final piece – showcasing all the more versatility from Habibi, and adding one last hit of impressive songwriting in the process.
Download or stream Habibi. Find Habibi Bapo on Apple & Instagram.
