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When Smoke Rises
EP by Mustafa
Released	May 28, 2021
Recorded	2020
Genre	Indie folk R&B
Length	23:42
Label	Regent Park Songs
Producer	Frank Dukes Jamie xx James Blake
Singles from When Smoke Rises
"Stay Alive" Released: March 10, 2020 "Air Forces" Released: September 21, 2020 "Ali" Released: March 30, 2021 "The Hearse" Released: May 26, 2021

When Smoke Rises is the debut EP by Canadian musician and poet Mustafa. It was released on May 28, 2021, through Mustafa's Regent Park Songs imprint. The album was produced by frequent collaborator and executive producer Frank Dukes with contributions from James Blake, Jamie xx, and Sampha, among others. The songs "Stay Alive", "Air Forces", "Ali", and "The Hearse" were released as singles prior to the album's release. The album is self-described as 'inner city folk music' and is thematically centered on Toronto's Regent Park community.

The album was shortlisted for the 2021 Polaris Music Prize.

Production

Mustafa began working on demos in the late 2010s. Formal songwriting for the album began in 2019 in London with Swedish producer Simon Hessman also known as Simon on the Moon. Following the songwriting process, frequent collaborator Frank Dukes came in to produce the album. His production was inspired by the Smithsonian Folkways anthologies of Sudanese and Egyptian music which he samples throughout the record. Additionally, tracks on the album were produced by London-based musicians James Blake, who contributed to "Stay Alive" and "Come Back", and Jamie xx, who produced "Air Forces" and "The Hearse".

Mustafa has noted that the songwriting of the record was influenced by Richie Havens, Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen, as well as Sufjan Stevens' 2015 album Carrie & Lowell.

The album's name is in reference to Smoke Dawg who is featured on the cover art alongside Mustafa.

Release and promotion

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
Evening Standard
Exclaim!	9/10
The Guardian
Pitchfork	7.3/10
Rolling Stone

When Smoke Rises was released on May 28, 2021, fourteen months after the first single "Stay Alive" was released. It was released independently by Mustafa under the name Regent Park Songs and distributed by Beggars Group. A limited edition of the album pressed as different colour vinyl records was released by a number of independent record stores including Rough Trade and VMP (Vinyl Me, Please).

Mustafa appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 27, 2021, to promote the release of the record. In the year leading up the release, Mustafa received significant press coverage, including profiles by The New York Times, GQ Middle East, Pitchfork, and American Songwriter.

Overall, the album received generally favourable reviews from critics, with particularly positive support from Canadian publications like Exclaim!

Track listing

Songwriting credits adapted from SOCAN and liner notes.

Notes

• signifies a co-producer.
• signifies an additional producer.
• "Stay Alive" features backing vocals by Sampha.
• "Air Forces" features uncredited background vocals by Frank Dukes.
• "Separate" features additional vocals from Fatima Ali and cityboymoe.
• "What About Heaven" features backing vocals by Sampha.
• "Come Back" features backing vocals by James Blake.

Sample credits

• "Air Forces" contains samples of "Heaven Help the Child", written and performed by Mickey Newbury; "The Age-Set" by Dinka People of Abyei from Music of the Sudan: The Role of Song and Dance in Dinka Society.
• "The Hearse" contains a sample of "The Spreading Horns" by Wife of the Paramount Chief from Music of the Sudan: The Role of Song and Dance in Dinka Society.
• "What About Heaven" contains samples of "Allah" from The Music of Upper and Lower Egypt; "The Tribe of Babo" by Dinka People of Abyei from Music of the Sudan: The Role of Song and Dance in Dinka Society.

Personnel

Adapted from TIDAL, Jaxsta, and liner notes.

Musicians

• Mustafa – vocals
• Ben Reed – bass guitar ("Separate", "What About Heaven")
• cityboymoe – additional vocals ("Separate")
• David Wrench – additional music ("Air Forces")
• Dylan Wiggins (Sir Dylan) – keyboards ("What About Heaven")
• Fatima Ali – additional vocals ("Separate")
• Frank Dukes – synth (tracks 2, 3, 5, 8); drum programming (tracks 3, 4, 6, 7); programming ("Air Forces"); guitar ("Ali")
• James Blake – synth ("Stay Alive"); vocals, piano ("Come Back")
• Jamie xx – synth ("Air Forces", "The Hearse"); programming ("Air Forces")
• Matthew Tavares – guitar ("The Hearse", "Ali"); synth ("Ali")
• Nate Mercereau – bass guitar, horns ("What About Heaven")
• Pete SCUM Nebula (The Antydote) – arranger, programming, drum programming ("What About Heaven")
• Rodaidh McDonald – synth ("Ali")
• Sampha – featured vocals ("Capo"); backing vocals ("Stay Alive", "What About Heaven"); piano ("Capo"); bongos ("What About Heaven")
• Simon Hessman – guitar (tracks 1–4, 6, 7); synth bass ("Stay Alive")
• Teo Halm – bass guitar ("Stay Alive")

Spoken word and dialogue

• Rax ("Stay Alive")
• Puffy L'z ("Air Forces")
• SAFE ("The Hearse")
• Ali Rizeig ("Ali")
• CAPO ("Capo")
• Smoke Dawg ("Capo")
• AK ("Come Back")

Technical

• Manny Marroquin – mixing
• David Wrench – mixing ("Stay Alive", "Air Forces")
• Chris Galland – mix engineer
• Jeremie Inhaber – assistant mix engineer
• Robin Florent – assistant mix engineer
• Scott Desmarais – assistant mix engineer
• Emerson Mancini – mastering
• Matt Colton – mastering

References

1. ^ "Mustafa - When Smoke Rises - LP+". Rough Trade. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
2. David Friend, "Dominique Fils-Aimé, Mustafa, and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson are among the 10 artists shortlisted for this year's Polaris Music Prize". Toronto Star, July 15, 2021.
3. ^ Caramanica, Jon (2021-05-28). "Mustafa, a Folk Hero for a Weary Generation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
4. ^ "Mustafa Speaks To His Experience, Not Through It". American Songwriter. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
5. ^ Kameir, Rawiya (26 October 2020). "Mustafa's Meditative Songs of Mourning". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
6. ^ "When Smoke Rises". Vinyl Me, Please. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
7. When Smoke Rises by Mustafa, retrieved 2021-06-07
8. Smyth, David (2021-05-28). "Mustafa - When Smoke Rises review: a sad, beautiful tribute". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
9. "Mustafa Honours His Grief Through Beautiful Poetry on 'When Smoke Rises' | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
10. "Mustafa: When Smoke Rises review – 21st-century folk meets bereft R&B". The Guardian. 2021-05-30. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
11. "Mustafa: When Smoke Rises". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
12. Conteh, Mankaprr (2021-05-28). "Mustafa's 'When Smoke Rises' is a Softly Stunning Debut". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
13. ^ "Overview: When Smoke Rises". Jaxsta. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
14. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - Season 8 Episode 148, retrieved 2021-05-27
15. Nagy, Andrew (2 February 2021). "Mustafa Is Realising His Purpose". GQ Middle East. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
16. When Smoke Rises - Mustafa | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-05-27
17. ^ Liner notes for When Smoke Rises, Mustafa. Regent Park Songs RPS004DA, 2021, vinyl record.
18. "BEATINK.COM When Smoke Rises". Beatink.com. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
19. "Credits: When Smoke Rises". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved 2021-05-28.

v t e Frank Dukes
Production discography
Albums produced	III (BADBADNOTGOOD) Sour Soul (BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah) Camila (Camila Cabello) My Dear Melancholy (The Weeknd) When Smoke Rises (Mustafa)
Category:Producing Category:Songwriting

• 2021 debut EPs
• Folk albums by Canadian artists
• Albums produced by Frank Dukes
• Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year albums