Ammar Manla Hasan

Maryam Saleh's Syrr Is the Revivalist Album We've Been Waiting For

Syrr, Spilled

Maryam Saleh’s Syrr Is the Revivalist Album We’ve Been Waiting For

Maryam Saleh’s Syrr is the revivalist album Arabic music has been waiting for – intimate, effortless, and deeply felt.

By Ammar Manla Hasan

Trump’s Iran War Has Clear Winners and Losers

Winners & Losers

Trump’s Iran War Has Clear Winners and Losers

After weeks of intensive strikes, Iran is emerging from the war with potentially more sovereignty, fewer sanctions, and a weaker opposition.

By Ammar Manla Hasan

Reviews

Egybest Sacrifices Its Original Story on the Altar of Eid Cinema

A promising piracy drama slips into formula, as Egybest trades a rich story for safe, trope-heavy Eid entertainment.

Reviews

Hekayet Narges Refuses the Easy Villain

A well-rounded and textured Ramadan drama, Hekayet Narges looks past the crime to the society that made it possible.

Album and Single Reviews

The Franchising Curse Haunts Dystinct’s ‘Ta3al’

Why Dystinct’s “Ta3al” feels like franchising a hit instead of pushing forward - and how pop keeps forgetting the power of scarcity.

Exclusive, FEATURES

The Screens Behind Smoke Screens at El Gouna Film Festival

What lies behind the polarized coverage of El Gouna Film Festival, beyond red carpet glamour and class critique?

Album and Single Reviews, MUSIC

Yasmine Hamdan’s ‘I remember, I forget’ Reinforces Her Reign

Yasmine Hamdan’s third full-length album, ‘I remember, I forget,’ doesn’t reinvent her legacy - it fortifies it.

Album and Single Reviews, MUSIC

You Have to Work for It: Listening to Soulja’s New Song ‘Location’ Is Deliciously Challenging

By releasing his new song 'Location' as a video game, Soulja ensures it gets the repeat listens it needs to truly grow on you.