Love in Exile is an album by Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab, Indian-American pianist Vijay Iyer, and multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, released on March 24, 2023, by Verve Records. It is the trio's first album together, recorded in a studio in New York. It was received positively by critics. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Alternative Jazz Album and "Shadow Forces" was nominated for Best Global Music Performance.
Background and recording Aftab, Iyer, and Ismaily first performed live together in New York in 2018, a performance in which Pitchforks Philip Sherburne said it "became unclear who was leading whom, or even where one musician ended and the next began". The trio came together in a studio in New York to record their first album together. They recorded live, taking the same positions as that live performance: Aftab singing in Urdu, Iyer playing piano and electronics, and Ismaily playing electric bass and Moog synthesizer.
Release On February 23, 2023, the trio announced the album and released its lead single, "To Remain/To Return". Iyer described the song as "reveal[ing] not just the melody but the birth of a song. I hear Shahzad and myself establishing these haunted cycles, then slowly and delicately transforming them, as Arooj glides across like a dark moon." Sherburne called the track "a small miracle of telepathy occurring across nine spellbinding minutes."
The album was released on March 24, 2023, by Verve Records.
Reception
Pitchfork called the album the best new music of the week.
Awards and nominations + Love in Exile awards and nominations Year Organisation Award Work Status 2024 Grammy Awards Best Alternative Jazz Album Love in Exile Best Global Music Performance "Shadow Forces"
Year-end lists + Love in Exile on year-end lists Publication Aquarium Drunkard Beats Per Minute 35 BrooklynVegan(Jazz Albums) Consequence 34 Mojo 16 The New York Times(Jon Pareles) 10 Pitchfork 25 Slate Treble 49 Uncut 33
Track listing
Personnel Arooj Aftab – producer, arranger, vocals Vijay Iyer – producer, arranger, piano (1, 3, 4, 6, 7), Rhodes piano (2, 5, 6), electroacoustic realization (1, 5–7) Shahzad Ismaily – producer, arranger, electric bass, Moog synthesizer Damon Whittemore – recording engineer, mixing engineer Matt Colton – mastering engineer
References