Sufi percussion meets pop sensibilities in Mentrix’s debut LP, My Enemy, My Love

Drawing on traditional Persian poetry.

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Mentrix, aka Samar Rad, is inaugurating her House Of Strength imprint with debut album, My Enemy, My Love, this April.

Read more: 20 new albums to look out for in early 2020

My Enemy, My Love sees Mentrix looking towards traditional Iranian instruments, using a tombak (goblet drum), kamancheh (bowed string instrument), ney (flute), and a daf  (large frame drum).

Born in Iran but forced to flee to France aged 8, before eventually returning as a teenager, the album “reflects my relationship with the contrasting worlds I lived in, with myself, and all my existential wanderings”, shares Mentrix.

Speaking of new track and self-produced video ‘Walk’, Mentrix explains, “it is very important for me to associate my music with the landscape of Iran … I am forever attached to my birth place, and my identity and aspirations are very rooted in Iranian culture.”

My Enemy, My Love will be released on the 3rd April, check out the artwork and tracklist below.

Tracklist:

1. Nature
2. Dreams
3. Loyalty
4. Longing
5. Walk
6. My Enemy, My Love
7. Igneous Son
8. If