It’s been two years since Paris-based Sababa 5’s previous full-length Aspan, and almost exactly a year since the release of their collaborative EP with Japanese vocalist Yurika Hanashima. And on Nadir, their compositions have a more mature — dare we say sexier — air. It’s possible that the band’s relocation to France has contributed to a slightly more sophisticated version of their sound, which finds its co-ordinates somewhere between Middle Eastern rock, psychedelic funk, and Americana — maybe even some subtle moments of reggae if you lean into the upstrokes, as they do on the gently-meandering “Atom.” To put it another way: If 2022’s self-titled album was a buoyant, jaunty teenager, then Nadir is the streetwise, stud-ish twenty-something with a cigarette…

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