Khazna: The Unseen Resonance of Kiss Facility’s Debut Album

The genesis of Kiss Facility’s debut album, Khazna, is marked by an almost uncanny synchronicity between its creators, Salvador Navarrete, known artistically as Sega Bodega, and Mayah Alkhateri. Despite Navarrete’s lack of proficiency in Arabic, he found himself able to articulate the exact imagery Alkhateri was conveying through her lyrics on the track "Kotshena," a dreamy techno piece. This profound moment, described by Alkhateri as "scary," underscores a core tenet of their artistic partnership: the belief that pure emotion can transcend linguistic barriers. "Sometimes you don’t even need to be heard to be understood," Navarrete reflected in an interview with Dazed. "That’s why music is so powerful. Once it’s done and you hand it over to people, they understand what you’re saying – even when they don’t know they understand." This sentiment resonates deeply, suggesting a universal language of feeling that underpins their collaborative work.

The connection between Alkhateri, who was raised in the UAE, and Galway-born Navarrete, began innocuously enough. Alkhateri initially shared a Sega Bodega release on her Instagram story. This digital interaction blossomed into a year-long "talking stage" before they finally met for a drink in London. Navarrete recounted the immediate impact of their meeting: "It was a brief interaction but, the moment I met her, I was like, ‘How do I [see her again]?’ I was leaving the next day to do some shows, and I just booked her on the next flight out. It was meant to be, honestly." This spontaneous and decisive move highlights the powerful, almost fated, nature of their burgeoning relationship, which would soon translate into their shared musical endeavors.

It was only after their romantic relationship solidified that Alkhateri disclosed her long-held aspirations of making music. Her previous attempts to collaborate had been fraught with unwelcome advances, leading her to abandon the pursuit. "I wanted to make music before then, but every time I met someone to make music, they wanted to take it to a sexual level, [so] I grew out of wanting it," she explained. However, her dynamic with Navarrete proved different. She shared her long-standing desire to infuse the shoegaze genre with Arabic lyrics. Coincidentally, the day before their track "Blackstone" was released, an Iraqi artist named Nabeel released a shoegaze song, suggesting a burgeoning movement within Arabic music circles embracing the style. This convergence of artistic ambition and emerging trends created fertile ground for Kiss Facility.

The Resurgence of Shoegaze and "Zoomergaze"

The emergence of Kiss Facility occurs within a broader cultural context of renewed interest in shoegaze. Critics have noted a trend they’ve dubbed "zoomergaze," identifying a "hauntological link" between the atmospheric, distortion-laden sounds of 90s bands like Slowdive and Cocteau Twins, and the current post-pandemic youth. This generation, having grown up amidst the ephemeral nature of online interactions and facing uncertain futures, appears to find solace in shoegaze’s melancholic textures. The genre’s sonic landscape offers a retreat from the anxieties of modern life, evoking a nostalgic yearning for a perceived simpler past.

While Navarrete is keen to distinguish Kiss Facility from the "zoomergaze" label, stating that only two tracks on Khazna lean into shoegaze, the album certainly engages with the genre’s spirit. Unlike contemporary revivals that often fuse shoegaze with hyperpop’s frenetic energy, Kiss Facility draws from the more established influences of trip-hop, techno, and dream-pop. Their debut album even features POiSON GiRL FRiEND, an artist Alkhateri describes as a "dream pop future seer." Instead of mirroring the cacophony of online spaces, Khazna‘s reverb-drenched soundscapes are designed to create a sense of expansive solitude. The album positions Navarrete and Alkhateri as figures at the precipice of an apocalyptic scenario, their connection a fragile beacon against an infinite distance. This is less a comforting sonic embrace and more a profound, introspective gaze, a departure from the literal "shoe-gazing" that defined the genre’s origins.

The Unseen Language of Emotion in Khazna

The creative process for Khazna is deeply intertwined with the concept of emotional resonance overriding literal comprehension. Alkhateri explained that her vocalizations, while often in Arabic, are primarily driven by the feeling they evoke, drawing inspiration from artists like Enya, who masterfully used invented languages to convey emotion. "I just want the songs to make me feel something," Alkhateri stated. This approach directly informs Navarrete’s production, even when he doesn’t understand the lyrical content.

"Feelings can often be lost in phonetics," Navarrete observed. "A lot of times I work with singers, they’ll do a take and it’s got the feeling in it. Then they go, ‘Well, I don’t know, I feel like I’m not saying the words right, let me do it again.’ They’ll lose all the feeling because they want the lyrics to be crystal clear. The melody already decides what it wants to say; it knows what it wants to be. Sometimes you have to sacrifice the words for it." This philosophy is exemplified by the anecdote of Max Martin’s production of Backstreet Boys’ "I Want It That Way," where grammatically incorrect phrasing ultimately enhanced the song’s emotional impact.

Unpacking the "Hidden Treasure"

The album’s title, Khazna, meaning "safe" or "hidden treasure" in Arabic, is central to its thematic core. Alkhateri explained that the album is intended to hold "hidden meanings," with certain lyrics directly inspired by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. Specifically, Alkhateri reinterpreted Darwish’s poem "A State of Siege," which depicts a mother’s grief, into a hopeful and healing narrative. The track "Noon" is presented as a dialogue between two souls in the afterlife, fantasizing about their future forms—a stone, a tree, a raindrop—creating a lullaby-like quality.

Beyond this poetic exploration, Khazna also delves into themes of sexual desire, a topic often suppressed within Alkhateri’s cultural upbringing. Kiss Facility is envisioned as a sanctuary for exploring these unspoken aspects of life. The track "Kotshena," for instance, addresses themes of living a double life and the internal struggle of maintaining a facade of well-being. Alkhateri emphasized that each lyric carries its own narrative, justifying the album’s title as a repository of these concealed stories.

Sonic Inspirations and Relational Anchors

The diverse sonic palette of Khazna reveals a rich tapestry of influences. Navarrete cited Kraftwerk as a significant inspiration, particularly for their ability to embrace the machine-like quality of their sound, a rawness he admires. The track "Kotshena" was directly influenced by Kraftwerk, while The Smiths’ "How Soon is Now?" inspired the album’s closing track, "baglaens." Low-key influences also abound, with "Absent from My Eyes" drawing inspiration from an unnamed "amazing song," and "Plasma" incorporating elements of POiSON GiRL FRiEND’s distinctive sound.

The relationship between Alkhateri and Navarrete is further cemented by their shared appreciation for POiSON GiRL FRiEND, particularly her album Melting Moment. Alkhateri described it as their "love song" and her favorite track from their previous EP. Their pursuit of POiSON GiRL FRiEND led to a serendipitous meeting in Japan, underscoring the profound, almost mystical, connections that inform their artistry and personal lives. This intertwining of musical inspiration and personal relationship forms the bedrock of Kiss Facility’s unique sonic and emotional landscape.

The inclusion of a cat’s meow at the end of "Qamar 14" adds a touch of intimate domesticity, a reminder of their shared life. Navarrete confirmed that the sound belonged to their friend’s cat, Bug, who had stayed with them for a year, becoming an unofficial member of their household and, apparently, a vocal contributor to their album. This detail, while seemingly minor, speaks to the organic and deeply personal nature of their creative process.

Khazna stands as a testament to the power of emotional communication in art, demonstrating how sonic landscapes and lyrical narratives, even when separated by language, can forge profound connections and unlock hidden layers of meaning for both creator and listener.