{"id":187361,"date":"2026-04-06T17:46:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T17:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/187361\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T17:46:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T17:46:39","slug":"soraia-queens-and-pharaohs-song-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/187361\/","title":{"rendered":"Soraia – \u201cQueens and Pharaohs\u201d [Song Review]"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\t\t\t\tArticle Views: 100 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Philly-based garage-rock outfit Soraia releases their latest single, \u201cQueens and Pharaohs<\/a>.\u201d The song\u2019s genesis occurred when a friend made Soraia vocalist ZouZou Mansour aware that her physical and mental health battles were becoming wars.<\/p>\n

Mansour says, \u201cMy friend said, \u2018Your body is screaming for you to stop, but you\u2019re not listening.\u2019 I didn\u2019t allow myself to stop. I didn\u2019t allow myself a lot of things. I got to a point where I was tired of my own shit, and this past year has been like a rebirth. I don\u2019t know what the future holds\u2014the band feels like it\u2019s in a caterpillar stage\u2014but I\u2019m not scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mansour\u2019s epiphany hit her hard, generating immediate course corrections: recalibrated energy, the first tour she\u2019s ever pulled the plug on, a clean break from corrosive hangers-on, and a general rearrangement of what gets to stay in her life and work.<\/p>\n

Now Soraia is rolling out a series of singles that trace the upshot of that transformation, including \u201cQueens and Pharaohs.\u201d These tracks reveal a new, potent confidence, built around strong women-at-the-center storylines, big hooky choruses that beg to be shouted back, and movie-like drama. \u00a0It\u2019s also the first time Soraia has written and recorded material before testing it onstage, which gives the songs an in-the-moment feeling\u2014like you\u2019re hearing the band become itself in real time.<\/p>\n

Soraia first surfaced in 2008 as a dark-glitter garage-rock unit\u2014loud, sleek, and equipped with an edgy pop instinct. Fronted by Mansour alongside Travis Smith (bass, backing vocals) and Brianna Sig (drums, backing vocals), with guitar duties provided by a cast of guests, Soraia has released ten albums plus multiple singles and EPs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Soraia has toured with Joan Jett and The Blackhearts and Bon Jovi, and opened for Steven Van Zandt and The Disciples of Soul, Sixx:A.M., Story of the Year, and Wolfmother. \u00a0Festival appearances include Philadelphia\u2019s MMRBQ, Chicago\u2019s Motoblot, and Milwaukee\u2019s Summerfest.<\/p>\n

\"Soraia<\/p>\n

Soraia in 2026, photo by Cassandra Panek<\/p>\n

\u201cQueens and Pharaohs\u201d rolls out on wailing guitars riding a syncopated rhythm as Mansour\u2019s deliciously snarling vocals imbue the lyrics with dramatic tones rife with intense passion. A dazzling guitar solo infuses the tune with Middle Eastern flavors, a tribute to Mansour\u2019s Egyptian father.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want fireworks at night \/ I want the hero\u2019s laughter (ha ha ha) \/ I think I\u2019m wrapped too tight \/ We\u2019re breaking through the rafters \/ I\u2019m drifting in the tides.\u201d<\/p>\n

Populated by fiery choruses, thrashing percussion, contagious hooks, and a sizzling solo, \u201cQueens and Pharaohs\u201d shakes with oomph.<\/p>\n

Run Time: 3:39
Release Date: March 27, 2026
Record Label: Independent<\/p>\n

Upcoming Shows:<\/p>\n

April 10th \/\/ Jacksonville, FL \/\/ The Walrus
April 11th \/\/ Orlando, FL \/\/ Uncle Lou\u2019s Ent Complex
April 12th \/\/ Gainesville, FL \/\/ Loosey\u2019s
April 14th \/\/ Augusta, GA \/\/ Soul Bar
April 15th \/\/ Athens, GA \/\/ Nowhere Bar
April 16th \/\/ Birmingham, AL \/\/ The Nick
April 17th \/\/ Atlanta, GA \/\/ Star Bar
April 23rd \/\/ Washington, DC \/\/ Pie Shop
April 24th \/\/ Asbury Park, NJ \/\/ Wild Air Beerworks
April 25th \/\/ Lambertville, NJ \/\/ Soup\u00e7on Salon
May 2nd \/\/ Clinton, CT \/\/ Scottish Dave\u2019s Pub
June 13th \/\/ Hamburg, PA \/\/ Hamburg Music Festival
August 29th \/\/ West Salem, OH \/\/ Rock n\u2019 Race
September 19th \/\/ West Reading, PA \/\/ West Reading Fall Festival
October 2nd \/\/ Indianapolis, IN \/\/ The Melody Inn
October 24th \/\/ Alameda, CA \/\/ Rock n\u2019 Roll Flea Market @ Faction Brewing<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Article Views: 100 Philly-based garage-rock outfit Soraia releases their latest single, \u201cQueens and Pharaohs.\u201d The song\u2019s genesis…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187362,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[75108,72838,9,24,63,122,124,123,75109,45422,73979],"class_list":{"0":"post-187361","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-garage-punk","9":"tag-garage-rock","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-city","12":"tag-nyc","13":"tag-queens","14":"tag-queens-headlines","15":"tag-queens-news","16":"tag-self-release","17":"tag-song-review","18":"tag-soraia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187361\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}