Shams Reimagines the Alt-Pop Sound on Debut Album ‘Qalb Plastic’

Shams is a Syrian artist who has lived several lives before this one. Raised in Damascus, shaped by the Opera House's theatrical world, then displaced first to the south of Syria, then to the Netherlands, eventually landing in Cairo. Qalb Plastic, her debut album with Egypt-based RAAD Records, doesn't ask you to know any of that upfront - but it makes a lot more sense once you do.

Produced entirely by Cairo’s own Kubbara, the record began as a sample-based excavation; Shams pulling apart the sounds that formed her music upbringing, and reassembling them into something that sits just inside pop without ever fully settling there. That push and pull is the album's defining quality. At its best, it feels like an artist discovering what she sounds like. At its most uneven, it sounds like the album is being pulled towards pop sonics when it doesn't need to.

The difference is audible track by track. ‘Ahwak’ opens things with quirky, squiggly guitars and lush vocal swells; an indie Arab pop foundation that feels warm and evolving. ‘Enaya’ swings harder, an Arabic violins sample riding a huge synth bass with vocals that tip into rap territory. However, there are spots where Qalb Plastic loses some of its grip, where spaciousness tips from atmospheric into unfocused, and choruses that feel like they were written to resolve songs that would have been more interesting left open.

The album works best when it keeps things simple. ‘Ward’ is built on little more than clean chords, a steady rhythm, and earwormy melody and ends up being one of the most complete-feeling tracks on the list. ‘Hob Fi’ closes things out on a strong note, with what starts as a hypnotic near-lullaby, and moves into a dynamic rap performance.

Qalb Plastic is a debut that carries interesting instincts, which for a first record, might be exactly where you want to be. When Shams resists the pull toward conventional pop structure and trusts the stranger, quieter version of herself, the album opens up into something worth paying attention to.