As part of a string of tracks that has seen Ghalia Benali look to the words of Middle Eastern poets of past and present, the Tunisian artist’s latest work comes in the form of the hauntingly beautiful ‘Untied’.
Using the words of award-winning Palestinian poet and activist, Carol Sansour, the track repeats a seven-line poem from the writer’s book, In the time of the Apricots, in English, Arabic and French. Benali swings between singing and spoken-word throughout what is a dense, atmospheric piece that’s accompanied by fittingly vague, obscure visuals that were shot in Cairo by Egyptian photographer, Karime El Hayawan. The sonic make-up of the track is equally as engrossing, with piano and various electronic elements making for a fluid, nebulous soundscape that ebbs and flows to the drive of Benali’s vocals.
“I could take a bite off the sun/To stop the fire from dying inside me,” she sings. “I could swallow a stormy sea/So that my anger will not ebb/I would yield to all possibilities/If I could see you without restraint/Till I see you Untied.”
The piece has been produced under the umbrella of Benali’s Mwsoul Arts Foundation and was debuted as part of 2020’s virtual edition of the Manheim Sommer festival. According to a post by Benali in June, this is one of a handful of new releases slated for July.
