Prostitute are here to burn it all down — and ‘Attempted Martyr’ is the proof

There are bands that make noise, and then there are bands that mean it. Prostitute — out of Dearborn, Michigan, a city that holds America’s largest Muslim population — are very much the latter.

Their debut album ‘Attempted Martyr’ is out now on Mute (yes, that Mute — the label that brought us Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, and Einstürzende Neubauten), and if you haven’t heard it yet, consider this your wake-up call. It’s a full-spectrum detonation of post-hardcore, noise-rock, Arabic dance rhythms, hypnotic electronics, and industrial textures — all funnelled through frontman Moe’s unflinching, disturbingly poetic lens on identity, family, war, and what it means to grow up Arab in post-9/11 America.

The Guardian called them “among the most exciting, unorthodox breakthroughs in recent American rock.” Pitchfork praised Moe’s ability to turn real-life nightmares into poetry. Anthony Fantano said they “definitely deserve the buzz.” The Quietus said the album “captures the precarity and anxiety that seems to accompany every aspect of day-to-day life.” At this point, the critical consensus is deafening — and the live reputation is catching up fast.

Produced by Chris Koltay (who’s worked with The Armed and Mdou Moctar — two names that should tell you exactly where on the spectrum of uncompromising this sits), Attempted Martyr is loosely a concept record about a character in crisis. Moe explains the genesis: “I had an identity crisis growing up. 9/11 started a lot of xenophobia and Arab hatred. I hated being Arabic through much of my 20s. Through much of my 20s I felt like, ‘How about I be the character you want me to be?’” Drummer Andrew took that crisis and, in Moe’s words, “ran with it, and made the philosophy behind it — this ‘radical terrorism’, this crazed zealot thing.”

It’s a heavy concept handled with nuance, dark humour, and enormous sonic ambition. This isn’t agitprop — it’s art. Andrew is clear on that: “This isn’t some manifesto — this is art, it’s an outlet for things we were feeling.”

The five-piece (Moe, Andrew, Ross, Bret and Dylan — all Dearborn kids, all orbiting the same schools and circles before finding each other) have built something rare: an album that was already resonating deeply when it first dropped in limited form, and has only grown more urgent since. “When we started the album, the war in Gaza hadn’t begun yet,” says Andrew. “But the world was still pretty fucked up. It already felt like the car was going off the cliff, with no-one at the wheel.”

Watch the videos:
∙ Judge (Fast) visualiser
∙ All Hail (Pressure) video
∙ Mr. Dada video

For the vinyl collectors among you, ‘Attempted Martyr’ is available in a special limited Arabic edition on Lebanese sunburst vinyl exclusively through Dinked, a red vinyl edition, and CD — all out now via Mute. Go get it.

‘Attempted Martyr’ track list
All Hail
Judge
Mr. Dada
Body Meat
Senegal
In the Corner Dunce
Joumana Kayrouz
Harem Induction Hour

Buy / Stream ‘Attempted Martyr’ here

Catch them live — but act fast, the UK is almost gone:

Date	City	Venue
16 Apr	Bourges, FR	Printemps de Bourges
17 Apr	Liège, BE	KulturA
18 Apr	Tilburg, NL	Roadburn Festival
20 Apr	Berlin, DE	Urban Spree
21 Apr	Cologne, DE	Bumann & SOHN
22 Apr	Antwerp, BE	Trix
23 Apr	Paris, FR	Petit Bain
24 Apr	Rennes, FR	Ubu
26 Apr	Birmingham, UK	Supersonic Festival
27 Apr	Brighton, UK	Green Door Store	🔴 SOLD OUT
28 Apr	London, UK	Moth Club	🔴 SOLD OUT
29 Apr	London, UK	Moth Club	🔴 SOLD OUT
1 May	Manchester, UK	White Hotel	🔴 SOLD OUT
2 May	Glasgow, UK	Hug and Pint	🔴 SOLD OUT
18 Aug	Brighton, UK	Dust
19 Aug	Newcastle, UK	Lubber Fiend
23 Aug	Ulster, UK	Sports Club
24 Aug	Dublin, IR	Workman’s Club
26 Aug	London, UK	The Dome	⚠️ Nearly Sold Out

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