Bliss is a band that begins and ends in Beirut, as a project between friends to build a safe and loving underground music community in the heart of their city. Their songs are born from the same ambition, to make music for nostalgia and the feelings some are afraid to face. Bliss has become a sort of comfort band for the city’s youth, their songs are soft spoken and relatable and their concerts allow for a form of self expression most teenagers in Lebanon can’t do anywhere else.
The songs are written and composed by vocalist and bassist Julie Abou Kasm and guitarist Rebal Abu Fadel, the two founded the band as an indie duo in 2023 before ex-drummer Ibrahim El Khansa joined them in 2024. The addition of Ibrahim added a heavier, grungier sound to the band due to the sheer heaviness of his drumming, while Julie and Rebal still kept the same softness and dreamlike guitar tones and vocal melodies. The product of this mix resulted in a heavy float of shoegaze elements, eventually creating their sound.
They began writing in their 3rd year of university together, at the American University of Beirut, and slowly built a bond with their first listeners, the freshmen and sophomores who would come to watch their rehearsals. The name “Bliss” comes from the street that their university resides on: “Bliss Street, Hamra”, where the band would often hangout for a smoke break between classes.
The three recorded and released their first EP “You Should Quit Your Job And Play Outside (With Me)” produced by renowned Lebanese musician, producer, and sound engineer, Fadi Tabbal, in early 2024. Fadi took the potential of a messy, all over the place, but honest band and turned them into Beirut’s up and coming alt band that they are today, helping them with stage confidence, song structure lessons, and recommending proper equipment and instruments for a better sound, live and studio.
With the addition of their new drummer, Andrew Kareh, a post punk drummer that comes from a long line of punk musicians, Bliss is finally working on their full length album that is set to release in the spring of 2026, promising an album made for their generation to rely on.
