Looms - How It Has to Be (2017)

Time’s got a funny way of repeating itself these days,” sings Looms frontman Sharif Mekawy on the song “Floodlines.” Boy, does it. Everything in nature seems to be cyclical to some extent, but it takes a keen eye to fit all those puzzle pieces together. On their dazzling new album How It Has To Be, Looms explore the interconnectedness of our relationships, experiences and emotions – touching not only on the way life repeats itself, but also on the significance of those old and new encounters to the individual. A mature, reflective inward journey, How It Has To Be resonates with the energy of a resilient soul surrendering to the world at large.

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering Looms’ sophomore album How It Has To Be (out August 4, 2017 via Little Dickman Records). The NYC four-piece of Sharif Mekawy (vocals, keys, guitar), Harry Morris Jr. (guitar), A. Hammond Murray (bass) and Louis Cozza (drums), Looms’ music passively defies genre, and therefore cannot be limited to any strict definition. In premiering the band’s song “Winter Here” earlier this year, we noted how Looms “blend a consistently inconsistent mix of folk, electronic, rock, jazz, and more into a warm, melodically rich vision of sound.” This is especially the case on their new record, where every song carries its own vibe, tone, warmth and energy.

What can be said with certainty about Looms is the intensity of passion they unleash on every song: Mekawy’s wry, poetic and often somber musings are bolstered by his band members’ acute sense of dynamics and pulse. Looms’ songs rise and fall in great waves of evocative tension: You are guaranteed to learn some deeper truth about yourself through this record, whether you want to or not.

Or perhaps you’ll just leave with more questions. Either way, How It Has To Be offers a compelling narrative as Looms grow comfortably and confidently into their own, offering fresh thoughts and a vibrant soundtrack to tales that are – for lack of a better term – as old as time. Listen to the full record through Atwood Magazine’s exclusive stream, and peek inside How It Has to Be with Atwood Magazine as Looms provide their personal take on the album’s songs.

Tracklist:

01. Looms - Cages
02. Looms - Tomorrow
03. Looms - Floodlines
04. Looms - Winter Here
05. Looms - New York
06. Looms - Again
07. Looms - Untitled
08. Looms - All of a Sudden
09. Looms - Going Through
10. Looms - Only One