“This is an album that is easy to get lost in, easy to marvel at the aural textures, easy to appreciate the musicianship but very difficult to put down.” ─ Astral Noize

With these words, Astral Noize magazine describes “Al-Mahruqa”, the debut album from band Pelegrin, digitally released in September 2019.

The French trio offers to its listener a 42-minute long sonic tale. He will follow the footsteps of an ailing war veteran, from the bazaar of Tangier to a millenary temple, carved into the rock at the very end of a desert valley: Al-Maruhqa.

En route, the listener will encounter mesmerizing ambiances. Melodies soaked with eastern influences. Rock-solid riffs. Unsettling songs, always on the move.

"Al-Mahruqa is a rich and deeply satisfying album that shows a band that everyone needs to know about. This is Psychedelic Stoner Rock of the highest order."
─ Outlaws of the Sun

A 100 % DIY ALBUM

All three of us - François (guitar/vocals), Jason (bass) and Antoine (drums) - are driven by a desire to play the music that we would have liked to hear. To fill a tiny space that seemed vacant in the ever-expanding galaxy of distorted music. If we roam the lands of stoner, prog and heavy psych, it is with the intention of making a few steps into the unknown.

We created “Al-Mahruqa” with full creative liberty, and a decidedly DIY approach. The songwriting was a long and winding road, covering almost 5 years. The album itself was entirely recorded and mixed by François expert hands.

To achieve a result that is worthy of your listen(s), we’ve already engaged a good amount of savings, not to mention thousands of tireless work hours. That is why, as we aim to reach a final milestone, we call upon you for help !

But first, let us introduce ourselves !

Antoine

There's a saying : "Your band is screwed whenever your drummer starts writing songs". We're safe with Antoine, since he couldn't tell a D from an A to save his life.

But thanks to his sense of rhythm and his bulky build, he's sometimes quite useful. People even made the link between his loud drumming and a significant drop in rent prices around his parisian neighborhood.

Antoine is also the lyrics man.

François

François started playing guitar about the same time he discovered how to pleasure himself. Meaning, sixteen years ago. You've guessed it : he's quite good at it.

Other than that, he sings, records and mixes. Yep, he's pretty much the only one working in this lazy-ass band.

Jason

Jason is good-looking, wears a beard and works as a carpenter. It will be no surprise when we'll catch him walking on water.

Meanwhile, he plays bass for Pelegrin. "Bassist ? The uncharismatic dude played the same three notes over and over ?" you're probably thinking. Well, you don't know the guy.
#nonstopriffmachine

Vinyl pressing of Pelegrin’s album Al-Mahruqa