We’re now less than a month away from the release of Rostam‘s new album Changephobia, and with a bunch of delightful singles already out it’s shaping up to be great one. He’s added to that this week with the song “From The Back of a Cab”, saying:
““From the Back of a Cab” is probably my favorite song that I’ve written. It started with the 12/8 drums — something you find in Persian music and African music. I built the song around those drums over time, writing the piano part in my living room, the melodies and lyrics on foot walking in New York and Tokyo, on California’s highways, and on the flights and car trips between all those places.”
Those African-style drums do indeed fuse “From the Back of a Cab” with a travelogue-type feel, while Rostam matches it with pensive vocals. Sitting in the back of a cab is often a ruminative experience, as you watch the world pass by, especially if you’re on your way off to the airport as Rostam is in this song, and he matches that world weariness and intimacy beautifully with his innovative production to create a subtly expansive delight.
The video for “From the Back of a Cab”, unsurprisingly, takes place in that very space. Directed by Rostam alongside Jason Lester, it features many different people riding in the car, including a lot of the artist’s friends and collaborators like Haim, Charli XCX, Kaia Gerber, Seth Bogart, Remi Wolf, Bryce Willard Smithe, Samantha Urbani, Wallows, Ariel Rechtshaid and Nick Robinson.
Watch the video below or listen to the song on streaming platforms.
Changephobia comes out on June 4 through Matsor Projects (pre-order/save). You can find Rostam on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
