Imarhan are setting out to represent a new wave of Tuareg music with their self-titled debut album.

Compared to the distorted desert blues of Mdou Moctar or regional stars Tinariwen, the Algerian band – whose frontman Sadam is a cousin of Tinawiren’s Eyadou Ag Leche – have a different slant on their traditional music.

“Their poetry and flow has a more integrally urban base than the ancestral tamashek poetry and traditional rhythms of their elders,” as the label explains, and you can hear the combination of traditional folk music with the funkier rhythms of West Africa and a certain youthful swagger.

Their eponymous single comes with a video filmed by Dalel Ziour in their hometown of Tamanrasset, south Algeria.

Imarhan’s self-titled debut album will be released on April 29 2016 via City Slang, and the band are about to set out on their first North American tour, beginning in Seattle on April 16 – check out the long list of tour dates below.

Tour dates:

North American Tour

15.04 Portland – Roseland Theatre
16.04 Seattle – Vera Project
18.04 Arcata – Richard’s Goat
19.04 Sacramento – Harlow’s Restaurant and Nightclub
20.04 Big Sur – Henry Miller Library presented by FolkYeah
21.04 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall: 
22.04 Claremont, CA – Pomona College
23.04 Venice, CA – Del Monte Speakeasy presented by Radio Afrique 
24.04 Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex
28.04 San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
29.04 Austin, TX – Levitation Festival
02.05 Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
03.05 Chicago, IL – Schubas
04.05 Madison, WI – Frequency
05.05 Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub
06.05 Akron, OH – Musica 
07.05 NYC, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
08.05 Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s Alright

12.05 Caen FR – Le Cargo
13.05 Clermont Ferrand FR – La Coopérative de Mai
14.05 Lille FR – L’Aeronef
15.05 St. Brieux FR – Art Rock Festival
17.05 Angers FR – Le Heron Carré
18.05 Paris, FR – Point FMR
19.05 Brussels BE – Les Nuits Botanique
20.05 Amsterdam NL – Paradiso Noord
21.05 Groningen NL – Vera
23.05 Copenhagen DK – Vera
24.05 Hamburg DE – Turnzimmer
25.05 Potsdam DE – Fabrik
26.05 Jena DE – Glashaus im Paradies
27.05 St. Gallen CH – Palace
28.05 Munich DE – Modular Festival
29.05 Dresden DE – Groove Station
30.05 Düsseldorf DE – Zakk
31.05 Antwerp BE – Het Bos
01.06 Luxemburg – De Gudde Wellen
02.06 Metz FR – Chapelle des Trinitaires
30.07 Saltash UK – Port Eliot Festival
06.08 London UK – Caught By The River Thames
04.09 Dorset UK – End Of The Road Festival