Two towers sit inside a circle covered in foreign characters, save for something at the top and bottom that resembles a backwards “J”. For anyone in-the-knows it’s the symbol of the punk band, Haram; fronted by Nader Habibi who is most notorious for speaking and singing on stage in Arabic only. Habibi is so notorious for such fact that the FBI’s Joint Terrorist Task Force came knocking on his door. These two encircled towers – which resemble the World Trade Centers – sit on the Arab punk bands new 7″, Where Were You On 9-11?, released today by Toxic State Records.

For fans of the New York outfit, this is nothing controversial; just 9 minutes of fast, distorted music put out by one of modern punks biggest names. If you google search or pull up the album on YouTube, however, you are quickly inundated with and redirected to information from the Encyclopedia Britannica about 9/11 – the day that changed Nader’s life forever. While the title track of the EP is a quintessential American question, it holds even heavier weight for our Arabic and Muslim citizens. Nader’s answer would be that he was being interrogated by his elementary school D.A.R.E. officer, just for identifying as the aforementioned descriptors.

Following the tropes of previous albums, Where Were You On 9-11? doesn’t offer translations or apologies. It’s immersive and tough. The music is hypnotic and trance-like, while staying deeply rooted in punk and hardcore. With 5 drum hits, the band comes at you like a night terror. With Mike Gallant on guitar, James Stuart on drums, and Martin O’Sullivan on bass, Nader’s message is translated into a language we can all understand. These four new songs give you everything about Haram that we’ve grown to expect and need, while bringing to the table something fresh, excited, and – in a world where there is no longer anything off-limits in punk – forbidden.

Or should I say ‘haram’?

Watch the full teaser from Toxic State Records and give the new EP a listen below.