Lose yourself in Nabihah Iqbal’s “Zone 1 to 6000” video
Watch the London-based visual from the U.K. artist.
The debut album from Nabihah Iqbal (FKA Throwing Shade) was one of 2017's most slept-on gems. Indebted to '80s synth-pop and representing a gear shift as the U.K. artist moved from making electronic music towards something more pop, Weighing of the Heart felt like a bold move forward from an artist unafraid to strike out in an exciting new direction.
One of the album's stand-out tracks is “Zone 1 to 6000,” an ode to "waking up to break the rules, waiting for the week to end." The beat snaps hard and Iqbal's lyrics, reminiscent of Pet Shop Boys spoken word moments, take a freeze frame of British life and set it over a pop melody.
Today a video for the track is premiering on The FADER. In it we see Iqbal as she walks through London, offering a window into the city as it lives and breathes though a working week. It eerily captures the loneliness and sense of despair that's easy to fall into in a big city.
Speaking to The FADER about the video, Iqbal said: "The video is about real life. It's about people's true feelings that get lost in the chaos of a big city. It's about protective layers and the ease of monotony.”
Director Oliver Malin added via email: "Hopefully [we struck] the right tone and atmosphere in the final video, a multi-layered observational letter dwelling on the cycle of existence of contemporary city life, which for most is just about 'trying to get through'."
Watch the video above. Iqbal plays London's ArchSpace tonight (February 22) and is on tour throughout April.
