Biography

Interbellum is the project of Lebanese singer-songwriter Karl Mattar. The project blends elements of folk, noise pop, garage rock and ambient music into an idiosyncratic mix centered on Mattar's songwriting. Sophomore album "Dead Pets, Old Griefs" (2018) was recorded in Beirut with renowned producer Fadi Tabbal and released by Lebanese indie label Ruptured . The project and album made best-of lists in the Arab world and beyond, receiving praise from publications like Gold Flake Paint, The Wire and GQ Middle East among others. Interbellum's self-produced 3rd album "Our House Is Very Beautiful at Night" was released on April 7th 2023 and explores the idea of ghosts as intergenerational trauma, on a personal and collective level. Its 15 tracks deal with memory, time and the past, casting intimate trauma as a microcosm of Lebanon’s unending cycles of violence, unearthing the crypts where memories and postmemories lie buried. "A beautiful and frequently head-spinning indie-folk-rock-noise record, encompassing everything from charming and straightforward pop rock to acoustic folk songs to fuzzy, layered psychedelia." - Rosy Overdrive