Love in Exile (album)

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.

For other uses, see Love in Exile (disambiguation).

Love in Exile
Studio album by Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily
Released	March 24, 2023
Length	75:12
Language	Urdu
Label	Verve
Producer	Arooj Aftab Vijay Iyer Shahzad Ismaily
Arooj Aftab chronology
Vulture Prince (2021) Love in Exile (2023) Night Reign (2024)
Vijay Iyer chronology
A Love Sonnet for Billie Holiday (2021) Love in Exile (2023) Compassion (2024)
Shahzad Ismaily chronology
Visitations (2020) Love in Exile (2023) Dosh, Ismaily, Young (2023)
Singles from Love in Exile
"To Remain/To Return" Released: February 23, 2023

Background and recording

Aftab, Iyer, and Ismaily first performed live together in New York in 2018, a performance in which Pitchfork's Philip Sherburne said it "became unclear who was leading whom, or even where one musician ended and the next began".^[1] The trio came together in a studio in New York to record their first album together.^[2] 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.^[1]

Release

On February 23, 2023, the trio announced the album and released its lead single, "To Remain/To Return".^[3] 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."^[3] Sherburne called the track "a small miracle of telepathy occurring across nine spellbinding minutes."^[1]

The album was released on March 24, 2023, by Verve Records.^[4][5]

Reception

Love in Exile ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	85/100[4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
The Guardian	[5]
Mojo	[6]
Pitchfork	8.5/10[7]
Uncut	8/10[8]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Love in Exile received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.^[4] Pitchfork called the album the best new music of the week.^[7]

Awards and nominations

Love in Exile awards and nominations

Year	Organisation	Award	Work	Status	Ref.
2024	Grammy Awards	Best Alternative Jazz Album	Love in Exile	Nominated	[9][10]
		Best Global Music Performance	"Shadow Forces"	Nominated	[9][10]

Year-end lists

Love in Exile on year-end lists

Publication	#	Ref.
Aquarium Drunkard	—	[11]
Beats Per Minute	35	[12]
BrooklynVegan (Jazz Albums)	—	[13]
Consequence	34	[14]
Mojo	16	[15]
The New York Times (Jon Pareles)	10	[16]
Pitchfork	25	[17]
Slate	—	[18]
Treble	49	[19]
Uncut	33	[20]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily.

Love in Exile track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"To Remain/To Return"	9:17
2.	"Haseen Thi"	12:08
3.	"Shadow Forces"	14:04
4.	"Sajni"	8:07
5.	"Eyes of the Endless"	14:40
6.	"Sharabi"	13:36
7.	"To Remain/To Return" (Excerpt)	3:20
Total length:		75:12

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