Mdou Moctar - "Taliat"

Mdou Moctar's new album, Afrique Victime, is out this Friday, May 21, and ahead of its release, Moctar has shared one last single.

Like previous singles, "Taliat" is an explosive guitar number full of shimmering psychedelics that propel the song with impressive force. This one isn't as much of an absolute blow-out like some of the others and while it's not exactly a contained sound, it does show Moctar's strength of restraint as he firmly takes control of the song and the power it holds. "Taliat means woman," Moctar said in a statement. "In our community, women are queens, they have a lot of power, that why I use the term taliat to talk about them. A woman in the Tuareg community has to be protected, but she also has to be treated as equal." Sure to be one of the most expressive and impressive guitar albums of the year, the innovative tendencies and skills from Moctar makes this one of the most highly anticipated rock albums in 2021.

Afrique Victime is out this Friday, May 21 via Matador.