Aziya - BAMBI

From posting one-woman-band covers of PJ Harvey and Jimi Hendrix to revelling in the new wave-inspired post-punk of her early work, London-based polymath Aziya has unapologetically crafted herself a genre-defying creative world. Arriving as an emphatic follow-up to her self-produced 2023 EP ‘LONELY CASTLES’, ten-track mixtape ‘BAMBI’ deconstructs patriarchal expectations through the lens of her experiences as a young woman in her twenties. Marked by the defiant statement of intent laid out in opener ‘magdalene’, it quickly becomes clear that Aziya’s voice isn’t the only one that we will be hearing throughout the record. Drawing on the narratives of various female figures, stretching from the darker tones of The Virgin Suicides-inspired ‘call my name (lux lisbon)’ to the voice memos of the women she surrounds herself with on ‘bambi summit’, it’s a resonant showpiece of the strength found in sisterhood. Woven together by her rule-bending guitar-based ethos, the project sees Aziya balance moments of vulnerability and emotional strength. While ‘party’s over’ and ‘crush’ navigate the fading beginnings of romantic connections, ‘bbydoll’ taps into a refreshingly self-assured side to her artistry. Reaffirming her newfound sense of identity with the closing title track, ‘BAMBI’ is not only a celebration of Aziya stepping into a new version of herself, but equally one for the women who remain by her side through it all.