© 2025 KUAF
NPR Affiliate since 1985
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Angular, Skittering Rock with a Creamy Center

Rahim tells a sweet, timeless love story.
Rahim tells a sweet, timeless love story.

Rahim not only draws inspiration from a specific sound -- think Fugazi, The Dismemberment Plan, and other bands that add an element of adventurousness to rock and hardcore punk -- but it also expands on those acts' exploratory sensibilities. The trio maintains exacting control over its requisite angular guitars and skittering drums, at the same time doling out unexpectedly lush backup harmonies and a melancholy, restrained organ.

On "Forever Love," the group creates an enchanting post-punk ballad with a creamy, gooey heart. An ode to a beloved sweetheart, the song tells a tale of timeless romance, while evoking disparate eras, childhood memories, and hazy summers. Images of green grass and spiral staircases glide effortlessly by on a bed of sweetly refined melodies.

Buffed into perfection by producer J Robbins, "Forever Love" juxtaposes sharp instrumental edges with the billowing softness of Michael Friedrich's rich, soothing vocals. Rahim's fresh instrumentation sounds sparse, yet it still feels lush and playful -- a perfect counterpart to the song's witty, literate lyrics.

Listen to yesterday's 'Song of the Day.'

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Kathryn Yu
By day, Kathryn Yu is an Interaction Designer working for a marketing firm in New York City, toiling away at Web sites. By night, she's a freelance photographer and live-music addict. Her photography has appeared in publications like Pitchfork, Rollingstone.com, Thrillist, Gothamist, and more. She often forgets to blog at kathrynyu.com, and is also making a movie.
Related Content
  • The Arkansas Legislature is hitting high gear. On today's show, Josie Lenora, politics and government reporter for Little Rock Public Radio, gives us the latest from the Capitol. We’ll also spend time with Pryor Center archives surveying the career of Arkansas-born Billy Bob Thornton.
  • State lawmakers send a bill banning affirmative action to the governor, and several other controversial bills near the end of the legislative process. One lawmaker aims to commemorate a school integration that predates the Little Rock Nine. And, Fayetteville is officially a “welcoming” city. But what does that mean, exactly?
  • A proposal that would give the government more oversight on libraries and public television advanced in a legislative committee yesterday. The bill would transfer the powers of the Arkansas Educational Television Commission and the State Library Board to the Department of Education.The bill passed committee with just one dissenter. It now moves to the full Senate.