I am very excited to feature this next track and album to readers of Spirits Rebellious. My journey into finding indie bands from the Middle East has taken years upon years of searching, only to hit dead end after dead. There were moments where I would give up only for my interest to perk up again at some point down the road. Starting this music blog has rekindled that desire to pick up the search again. A few weeks ago, I discovered Kazdoura based off a well targeted Instagram reel suggestion. While Kazdoura was not “Indie” sound I was specifically looking for, I fell in love with their brand funk and Arabic fusion heard on the album Ghoyoum and led me to a record label out of Cairo called Memphis Records. I followed their socials and a few days later, an interview from Tape Wounds was posted on the label’s Instagram stories for an artist, also from Cairo, called FHMY.
FHMY is Youssef Khaled Fahmy and his debut album is called “The World You Grew Up In No Longer Exists” and was released in 2025. On the surface, his music can be described as shoegaze and math rock, however, listening to the record nonstop last Friday, I found so many layers of complexity and depth. The first half of the record consists of the shoegaze and indie sounds I’m familiar with, in addition to several beautifully crafted instrumentals. The second half of the LP dives into some experimental instrumentals in addition to songs with heavier guitar riffs and very hard hitting and gut wrenching, sorrowful lyrics. These are sad songs, there is nothing happy here. The album is centered on the fact that the promises and ambitions we had as youth seem to have been taken away from us. With our current political and socials climates, not just in America but around the entire globe, we’re all feeling a little lost and hopeless.
I strongly recommend giving the Tape Wounds interview (linked above) a read. It goes way deeper into the life of Fahmy and the record itself. The album was written and recorded over the course of four years, between 2020 and 2024, with some tracks recorded in his bedroom while others recorded with Memphis Records. His influences consists of shoegaze royalty in Slowdive, American Football (the lead track off the album is titled Egyptian Football) and Mogwai amongst others. But another aspect I got from the interview was an answer to my long-standing question of where the Middle Eastern indie bands are. After reading the article I gave it a shot and sent Fahmy a message on Instagram asking about any like-minded musicians he might know or suggest then headed off to see Deceits at The Holland Project.
After the show finished, I got home and was ready to call it a night when I noticed a notification on my phone. Fahmy had responded and had inquired into the types bands and music genres I was interested in. I gave him a rundown of some bands I enjoyed the most and what genres I gravitated towards. We ended up talking and exchanging band names and musicians for about 45 minutes and I left this wonderful conversation with a shortlist of names to check out. Most were from the Egyptian music scene but a few Lebanese were sprinkled in. This was perfect. I got the lead I had been searching for. All weekend long I spent my free time listening to the musicians Fahmy gave me and fell through the rabbit hole following suggested artists and playlists. I find it amazing that this one Instagram story from Memphis Records led me to an amazing musician in FHMY which then led me to an answer I had long pondered for decades.
While this website remains focused on the local Reno music scene, I will start posting some bands I have found from FHMY’s suggestions as well as to some of the musicians I have found from those initial recommendations. I am very excited to unveil these artists. This means so much to me to be able to share this music with you all. Each post title will contain the country of origin the music comes from with all the usual links to Instagram pages, Bandcamps and streaming sites.
The World You Grew Up In No Longer Exists can be found here. All proceeds will help out Palestinians in Cairo start over after their displacement from Gaza/West Bank.
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