About Sandmoon
Beirut-based indie band sandmoon offers an original take on pop-rock, blending it with subtle Middle-Eastern intonations, creating a unique timeless space.
The band has been doing live gigs (Beirut, London, Brussels…)and releasing albums for more than 10 years, attracting a cult-like following especially in the Middle-East.
Selected as one of the 13 best indie female singers in the Middle East by Scene Noise, sandmoon also won the Award for Best Soundtrack at the Lebanese Movie Awards for the soundtrack of Listen directed by Philippe Arcatingi.
They released their first album “Home” in 2014, an EP “#IntheEnd” in 2016 and in 2018, “Beirut-Berlin Session” produced by Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave, PJ Harvey). Their second full length album, “Put a Gun/Commotion” was released in 2020 and “While We Watch the Horizon Sink” in 2022.
In 2025, Sandmoon released a one-off single, “I Know why the Caged Bird Sings” and a cover of Aznavour’s “Hier Encore”.
Latest release: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Released February 18, 2025
“Back in October 2024, in the middle of war, we got together at the studio - Sam Wehbi (Guitar), Georgy Flouty (Bass), Ayman Zebdawi (Drums - replacing Dani Shukri who was in Damascus) and Marwan Tohme. The war had just expanded to Lebanon, we were living at the rhythm of the bombs raining down on Beirut. It was all very strange, we were staring at each other in disbelief but at the same time, it felt liberating to be there in the cocooning comfort of a studio working on a song that talks about a bird singing for freedom,” singer-songwriter and frontwoman Sandra Arslanian recounts.
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is Beirut-based indie pop band sandmoon’s new single. The song is built around atmospheric synths & guitars, an earthy rhythm section and soaring vocals, echoing the cry for freedom that the caged bird sings. The lyrics are based on the last verse of a late 19th century poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar entitled “Sympathy” which had already inspired Maya Angelou’s work.
Media featuring "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
“Layering atmospheric synths and guitars with a steady, grounding rhythm section, Sandmoon crafts a soundscape that is equal parts ethereal and raw. Arslanian’s vocals carry an aching beauty, soaring above the instrumentation with an urgency that mirrors the song’s message.”
— Hiphop Eargasm
“This is one of the most striking songs we’ve heard in months."”
— Bored City
“Sandmoon signe un hymne universel, où musique et engagement résonnent bien au-delà des frontières du Liban.”
— InfoMusic.fr