Words by Willa Rudolph
Beirut-born and NYC-based artist, Thoom, also known as Zeynab Ghandour, released a new single and music video to match today, to pregame opening for Yves Tumor at Terminal 5 tonight. She has collaborated with Yves Tumor before, along with Ecco2k on “God is a Circle,” and released an EP earlier this year, Fantasy for Danger.
The video for “London Honda Nasty Taxi” follows Thoom and a couple of equally aloof and effortlessly stunting friends, driving around Amman, Jordan, as they bounce to the song, cooly. The beat stays on one level, not crescendoing and dropping or doing any of that extra stuff, because it doesn’t need to. It’s a solid groove. They’re not pressed to find the party. They already know where it is and they’re extremely fashionably late.
“London Honda Nasty Taxi” follows closely behind recent single “American Terrorist,” both of which came along with music videos that contrast greatly from one another. One was filmed in Amman, Jordan, where Zeynab visits her family, while the video for “American Terrorist” was filmed in Times Square. I can imagine these two environments represent two identities existing within the artist.
Thoom’s music spans across genres, touching on the bold, one-of-a-kind je nais se quoi of artists such as M.I.A., Grace Jones, and Madonna. Her references are creative, she always looks chic, and she is not repeating anything seen before. Her brand of alt-pop is particularly edgy and brings us into a world of parties, politics, and pure pop power.
A gem in the chaos that is the downtown New York scene, Zeynab exudes the kind of quirky and off-the-wall sensibility that is venerated, evident in the cult followings garnered there by artists like Snow Strippers and Club Eat. Her look and music both thematically grapple with the contrast between benders and vulnerability; New York City and Jordan or Lebanon; classy and trashy; and leaning into being hot while also having something to say.
Stay tuned on Thoom here: https://www.instagram.com/thoom_report/
