Zoumer explores love and roots on genre-blurring new album e.a.l. (euro arab lovergirl)

Zoumer's lively sophomore album, e.a.l. (euro arab lovergirl), is out today via The Big Oil Record Company.

We’ve got another artist to add to the ever growing list of exciting CPH+ talents. At this point, we’re not entirely sure whether the term originally comes from Spotify’s playlist, but over the past months, CPH+ has started to feel like a genre of its own. What began as a way to spotlight the alternative pop sounds orbiting the Rhythmic Music Conservatory and Copenhagen’s boundary-pushing music scene has gradually expanded beyond Denmark, connecting artists and releases across labels such as Escho, 15 love, Anyines, Caress, Stroom, Posh Isolation, Petrola 80, AD 93, The Big Oil Record Company, and more.

It is on the latter imprint that Zoumer, the alias of Danish Algerian artist and producer Yasmina Derradj, is releasing music. While her sound could loosely be described as electro pop, that would feel a little reductive. Blending alt pop with left field electronics and warped North African percussion, Derradj first made waves with her debut album Green World, a 2024 record that moved between intimacy and intensity while drawing from personal stories, cultural roots and a sense of myth and imagination.

Now she turns the page with her sophomore album e.a.l. (euro arab lovergirl), out today via Big Oil. One of the first songs written for the record was “honestygirl”, a track sparked by moments of heartbreak and emotional slights, yet delivered with confidence and humour. That feeling flows through the album’s tracks as Zoumer works through identity, love and vulnerability on a journey that feels both like a private diary and a vivid fantasy (the title track is also a must). In “honestygirl”, we especially love the many small details woven into the production, subtle textures and sounds that give the track a cinematic atmosphere and bring its emotional world to life. It’s a track that turns raw feelings into something vivid and immersive. It’s the kind of track that rewards close listening, where every small sonic detail adds another layer to the world Zoumer is building across e.a.l..

Arnaud Marty

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