Brooklyn-based indie quintet Habibi tapped into their Motown roots, delivering simple but infectious pop melodies with punkish attitude. The band grew from straightforward garage beginnings into more refined material and expanded instrumentation on their 2020 sophomore album Anywhere But Here.

Habibi was formed in the spring of 2011 by Detroit expatriates Rahill Jamalifard and Lenaya Lynch, tapping into their Motown roots of simple but infectious pop melodies delivered with punkish attitude. Jamalifard took lead vocal duties, Lynch played guitar and sang, and the lineup was rounded out by drummer Karen Isabel and bassist Erin Campbell. They played often around the New York City area, eventually releasing several tracks in the form of 7" singles and online streams. They participated in South by Southwest and toured with like-minded acts such as King Tuff; by 2014, they'd released a self-titled debut album of their dreamy-eyed and dancey pop on Burger Records. In 2015, they joined forces with La Luz to release a split single. In the years that followed, the band was joined by additional guitarist Leah Fishman and a four-song EP, Cardamom Garden, arrived in 2018. After a round of international touring, Habibi set to work on their sophomore album, exploring a wider range of instrumentation and arrangement than before. The more refined Anywhere But Here arrived in early 2020, expanding from the band's garagey beginnings with Middle Eastern instrumentation in some songs. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi