Marie Planeille
Imarhan announces new album, Essam
Algerian Tuareg desert blues outfit Imarhan have announced their forthcoming album, Essam, alongside the release of lead single “Derhan N’Oulhine” (“What The Heart Desires”).
“We tried something we’d never done before; we took some risks. Music allows us the freedom to try new things," says vocalist Iyad Moussa Ben Abderahmane (Sadam) of the forthcoming album. Since forming in 2006, the band — formed of bassist Tahar Khaldi, guitarists Hicham Bouhasse and Abdelkader Ourzig, and percussionist Haiballah Akhamouk alongside Sadam — have released three albums which offer their contemporary interpretations of Tuareg music.
Essam — which means “lightning” in the Tuareg language Tamasheq — follows Imarhan's 2022 album Aboogi. Recorded at Aboogi Studio in southern Algeria, the themes of the new album are influenced by the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the political instability along the Algerian-Malian border. “The refugees, the suffering, the hope - we feel all of it. But life is beautiful, even in its darker moments," Sadam notes.
Imarhan have also announced a UK/EU headline tour taking place next year, which will include stops in Manchester (18 March), Leeds (19 March), London (21 March), and Cardiff (22 March).
Essam is due for release on 16 January 2026 via City Slang.
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