Review
The weight of impending apocalypse hangs heavily over the latest transmission from Dua Saleh, yet the final result is unexpectedly tender rather than nihilistic. Drawing thematic inspiration from environmental grief and global conflict, Of Earth & Wires explores life after collapse, charting a course between digital anxiety and acoustic warmth. Critics trace a tense line through the record's ambitious scope, though some find the execution surprisingly restrained; as The Guardian observes, Saleh offers "glimpses of narrative over warm, earthy, all-too-brief tracks."
While the lyrical stakes span technological encroachment to systemic displacement, the music itself remains fluid and deeply physical. The project merges R&B, indie rock, and electronic pop, weaving what DIY calls a "bubbling beat and organ-like synths" with "flushes of gorgeous oud." Even as the album trades visceral terror for a more uplifting, gospel-adjacent resolve, Saleh successfully grafts heavy concepts onto elastic rhythms and sun-dappled folk elements. The album ultimately functions as an "evocative, multi-faceted commentary" (DIY) wrapped in remarkably hopeful, organic grooves.
