Alabaster DePlume shares "Bringing Up The Nakba"

ALABASTER DEPLUME SHARES NEW SINGLE "BRINGING UP THE NAKBA" FROM NEW EP DEAR CHILDREN OF OUR CHILDREN, I KNEW: EPILOGUE OUT DIGITALLY MAY 5 AVAILABLE ON RECORD STORE DAY EXCLUSIVE VINYL LP APRIL 18

Photo by Sofia Lambrou PRAISE FOR ALABASTER DEPLUME & A BLADE BECAUSE A BLADE IS WHOLE “An album of fighting songs with healing sounds.” The Quietus “Some of Fairbairn’s most powerful work to date." now then “Alabaster DePlume is unlike any artist of today.” Glide  “It’s a rare gift to make an instrument speak, rarer to make it communicate such a vital truth…” Pitchfork "Stunning...you can’t argue with DePlume’s outstanding melodies." The Guardian

Today, London-based saxophonist, singer, songwriter, activist, orator, and poet-philosopher Alabaster DePlume shares “Bringing Up The Nakba,” the second single from this upcoming new EP of instrumentals, Dear Children of Our Children, I Knew: Epilogue, out May 5 via International Anthem. Listen to “Bringing Up The Nakba” and presave Dear Children of Our Children, I Knew: Epilogue here. On “Bringing Up The Nakba,” Alabaster leads with a looping saxophone line that swells from patient long tones into fluttering bursts of sound and grainy distortion. Bass and drums lock into a slow, marching rhythm while cymbals break the surface in flashes.  As the sax climbs higher, the atmosphere turns unsettling — like something powerful being slowly raised to the surface. Of the new single, Alabaster says: “I wasn’t given permission to talk about 1948 before I started doing so. Yet I’ve learned about people I’m talking to, about myself, my history and the Nakba itself, by talking about it. You don’t need to be a scholar, to speak the names of dark moments from the past. We won’t learn more about them by not mentioning them. If you wish to have someone's permission to speak about them, you have mine.” DePlume recorded Dear Children during the middle of his March 2025 US tour, after weeks of playing shows with bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Tcheser Holmes, performing music from his critically acclaimed album A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole (released March 2025). The trio’s onstage rapport was so immediate and strong that, on an off day in Brooklyn, DePlume chose to capture that connection, recording this collection of instrumental pieces shaped by the experience of performing, sharing, and improvising off the music of A Blade for audiences across the US. Speaking about Dear Children, DePlume says: “Meeting with you all at the shows I sensed that you felt voiceless, on this ethical issue that also spelled out what we’re seeing today, in the form of ICE. That experience with you is etched into me, like graffiti or a poster on the wall. It’s my job to deliver your voice, and that’s what this record is. And to take action. That urgency compelled me to record then. And now here we are. As we said, this world is awakening to the reality it was already living.” Dear Children of Our Children, I Knew: Epilogue is also available on a Record Store Day exclusive vinyl LP, out April 18 (Record Store Day), that also contains DePlume’s 2024 EP Cremisan: Prologue to A Blade. More info about the Dear Children of Our Children / Cremisan vinyl LP via Record Store Day here. The two EPs contained on the vinyl release serve as bookends (literally a “prologue” and “epilogue”) for A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole; and as with almost everything that DePlume has put forth in recent years, the connection of both works to Palestine is deep. The Cremisan EP itself was recorded in Palestine. Dear Children incorporates field recordings and samples of children playing and of normal life in the West Bank, and its cover art depicts wheatpaste posters of a drawing made by a 13-year-old boy from Gaza (used with permission). The inscription on the cover art says, in Arabic, “Dedicated to the mother of the martyr/witness Obaida Ahmed al-Qiram. May you rest in peace. From your student, the artist, Hasan Jawad Abudayyeh.” Dear Children of Our Children, I Knew: Epilogue is out May 5, presave it here. TRACKLIST Bringing Up The Nakba I Play A Role In It And I Know It's Only Now Once (Elbit Systems Windowpane) Glass What Did The Child Say / Facing Reality CREDITS Recorded at Figure 8 Recording, Brooklyn. Produced by Alabaster DePlume in Total Refreshment Centre, London. Alabaster DePlume - saxophones, sampler, synths, guitars Shahzad Ismaily - bass Tcheser Holmes - drums Engineered by Tyler Hicks. Mixed by Dave Vettraino. Mastered by David Allen. Samples by Mai Mai Mai, Marta in Brooklyn and Aladdien in Bethlehem. Drawing by Hassan Jawad Abudeia. Installation and cover photo by Rich Jones. Stay connected with Alabaster DePlume: Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter Stay connected with International Anthem: 23 Profile | Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube