Dua Saleh fuses rap and chamber orchestra on “angel rock”

Dua Saleh’s latest EP, ROSETTA, bounced between vicious trap beats and desolate ambient production, with Saleh’s identity and artistry expertly guiding the brilliant project forward. On their latest single, “angel rock,” Saleh trades innovative hip-hop production for orchestral arrangements: “angel rock” showcases the Minneapolis-based artist pushing boundaries even further, exploring textures, instrumentation, and form that are in a league of their own.

Saleh opens “angel rock” with an eerie, lo-fi verse. It’s sung in the top of the artist’s range, with a whimsical delicacy that contrasts the sharp guitar plucks which open the instrumental line. Strings eventually enter the mix, providing gorgeous melodies and countermelodies which float around Saleh’s equally ethereal hook: “Would you hold me tight? / If I said you’re right / What a funny vibe.” The orchestral quality of the track stands alone in Saleh’s growing discography, featuring little of the seething aggression that they displayed on their last two EPs, ROSETTA and Nūr. With the hauntingly beautiful “angel rock,” Saleh’s music continues to resist any sort of definition or categorization.

“angel rock” is the latest in a series of singles that Saleh has released since the premiere of June’s ROSETTA. In October, they dropped “bloodrush” with Denzel Curry, Andrew Broder, and Haleek Maul, and prior to that, “RE(a)D,” with Queens rapper Bas. Check out the Key’s review of ROSETTA here, and check out Dua Saleh’s “angel rock” below.