By Saudi Indie Band Skeleton Crowd Drop Ace New Single
Known for bone-shattering guitar riffs, thundering drums and menacing vocals, indie rock duo Skeleton Crowd are at the forefront of Saudi Arabia’s growing indie scene. Ahead of their debut album next spring, they’ve just released new single Unus Mundus.
Abdulmalik Zubailah and Faris Alsobyani founded Skeleton Crowd, in Jeddah, in 2014. In the six years since, the lads have finely tuned their mix of indie, alternative and rock music. Unus Mundus is their sixth single and should earn the band more fans in the Gulf region and beyond.
Sonic Influences
Out on Saudi’s Wall of Sound label, Unus Mundus wears its sonic influences of Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails proudly, as it struts with menace and prowling energy. With Abdulmalik on vocals, synth and keys and Faris on guitar, the track drives through several radio-friendly peaks. But it’s the instrumental breaks – filled with squalling guitars and atmospheric electronics – that really leave an impression.
Abdulmalik and Faris found inspiration for their latest track in the work of Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung. Using Jung’s description of our unconscious as their basis, Unus Mundus is about “moving beyond cultural beliefs passed down with history”. All of which dovetails nicely with Skelton Crowd’s intention to smash through boundaries.
Saudi indie bands might not be known globally for their contribution to the scene but Skeleton Crowd, a band with a big sound and big ambitions, are out to change all that.
Check out Unus Mundus on Skeleton Crowd’s bandcamp page here. And keep your ears pinned for the album, Molly Crapton, due for release on 7th April 2021.
