Zarif – Square One 
Release Date: Out Now
London based Anglo-Iranian
singer-songwriter Zarif has climbed the pop tree high enough to share a stage
with the likes of Beyonce, Tom Odell and John Legend but she’s come back to
earth for this self-released EP, ‘Square One’. Opening with ‘Click’ and
immediately you get the sense that Zarif means business with the slick guitar
riff, thumping beats and vocals that are the very epitome of pop-rock. This is
a strong and purposeful start which leads into a chorus which is the size of
Katy Perry or Pink in their absolute prime but with the edge of PJ Harvey or
Chrissie Hyde. Like I said, strong start.
On ‘Back to Square One’ Zarif embraces
her 80s influences with a synthy bass line and breathless vocals which chime
out clearly over the Daft Punk-esque melodies and moods. ‘Nothing But A Memory’
is my stand out track on the EP for me with it’s bass chords melody and vibes
that bring in everyone from the Ting Tings, Talking Heads and the B52s to
LadyHawke and Little Boots. Zarif’s vocals are powerful enough to carry rock
melodies but sweet enough to work with pop which is a real talent and makes for
a great listen. The final track, ‘Anonymous’, has a more brooding atmosphere with
that talented voice ringing out over sparse instrumentation before the song
builds in to a storming and seriously rocking climax. Zarif has, it seems, made
the right choice in this new musical direction and I would strongly recommend
you get your ears around it ASAP.