Once generally known as Throwing Shade, Habitat Iqbal has solid a fame as an digital musician, DJ and in-demand collaborator, working with visible artists comparable to Wolfgang Tillman and curating this yr’s multidisciplinary Brighton festival. Her second album essentially departs from the textures of her debut, 2017’s Weighing of the Heart. Disadvantaged of her studio tools after a burglary, adopted by a household emergency in Pakistan in early 2020, Iqbal grew the sounds of Dreamer extra organically, working initially on harmonium and acoustic guitar. Pre-burglary, her work nodded vigorously in direction of beats, electronic pop and the indie cusp, whereas considering elevated themes. Her debut thought-about historical Egyptian myths round dying.
Emotions of existential melancholy linger elegantly all through Iqbal’s work, together with her gossamer vocals contemplating grief and the ineffable. Most of the extra forward-facing tracks from Dreamer bear in mind the dancefloor (comparable to the wonderful Mild Coronary heart) or characteristic nearly post-punk beats (as on This World Couldn’t See Us, beamed in from 1983). Iqbal combines these components with gauzy electronics, leaning into dream pop on the album opener, In Gentle, and the title observe. Largely, this post-genre method works. However pure electronics are her strongest go well with; you wish to cheer whousee housey oscillations of Sky River arrive after an excessive amount of by-product wafting.