“The lights go out and
I can’t be saved/Tides that
I tried to swim against/Have brought me down upon my knees.” – ‘Clocks’ by
Coldplay

here is something deeply personal about every Poor Rich Boy song ­- independent music’s unfailing and most respected music group.

Not many can walk the path they have chosen. They can release bilingual songs that possess that familiar socio-political cry that a number of artists suppress. The sense of wretchedness that lives within and without due to the country’s painful realities and lack of social justice isn’t something Poor Rich Boy have walked away from.

A case in point is their newest release, ‘Nazar’, where you can, depending on your taste, find beautiful similarities to your favorite artists such as Sufjan Stevens, or The Smiths, or The Beatles. That is purely coincidental and a reflection on the strong musicianship the band has always delivered.

The main line-up exists of music producer Zain Ahmad and performer Umer Khan, who is often responsible for a song’s concept when he is not penning original lyrics.

Umer and Zain work well because the lyrics behind each song are matched by a musical circle weaved around it that never overplays the musical hand.

‘Nazar’ like some of its preceding Urdu songs is conceptualized and sung by Umer and the melancholic, almost grim vocals provide sincerity that Khan has become known for. Ditto for Zain, who is responsible for the entire sonic structure. You have to marvel at his ability where Zain has played all the instruments and programmed what needed to be and arranged, produced and mixed ‘Nazar’.

The story of ‘Nazar’, is, in a way, connected to another Poor Rich Boy song called ‘Khudi Kya Hai’ that was released approximately one year ago. Conceptualized by Waleed Iqbal, who also selected the verses for the song, it opened another door for the band.

Notes Umer: “It appears as if Iqbal envisioned a post-colonial future marked with dignity. The source of that dignity lies in our recognising our limitless potential. The verses selected, essential to Iqbal’s thought as they are, and despite the vivid imagery they evoke, feel too abstract.”

But while ‘Khudi Kya Hai’ was conceived by Waleed Iqbal along with the poetic verses, ‘Nazar’ is conceptualized by Umer Khan.

“Iqbal’s insistence that freedom of expression was a sure signpost towards progress really resonated with me, and I thought I wanted these verses to be offset with visuals that show how far we’ve strayed from the message of our national poet.” – Umer Khan

“I wanted to explore Iqbal more and see what concrete steps he outlines as a path forward for a colonised people. To this end, I was going through Baal e Jibreel when I came across a couple of poems, one especially that spoke of the value of freedom of expression in educational institutions as a hallmark of Western success. And those really hit home considering our country’s present context. I don’t know how big a role freedom of expression can play in a nation’s progress. That is for policy makers and thinkers and the society at large to figure out. But I can be reasonably certain that this freedom is in short supply at the moment.”

Delving deeper into the conceptual effort that is ‘Nazar’ -Umer tells Instep: “I have been a professional teacher now for almost 12 years. I can assure you, as far as expression goes, whether it’s teachers, students or the administration, nobody is free. What we can teach or discuss is severely regulated.

“And while I see no harm in regulation itself, I do feel it must justify its existence at every step. Furthermore, it appears that this lack of freedom is not uniformly distributed across the public and private sectors. Money gets to talk more, and louder.

“Finally, many would assume that this sort of stringent regulation is a characteristic solely of the right wing perhaps. This is not true. It doesn’t matter where on the political spectrum, if there’s a way to silence criticism, it will be employed. Even our liberal and so-called progressive voices, the ones who claim to be the voices of dissent brook no criticism. But seeing as how these factions are composed of some of the most affluent members of this society, who nevertheless insist on pretending to be victims of a system that they continue to benefit from, one can’t really be surprised.”

Noting that these verses are not entirely new to any one of us, Umer concludes, “Habeeb Jalib wrote a poem where he pointed out, ‘Gulberg Mein Rehta Hai Mera Socialism Bhi’ highlighting the inherent hypocrisy of the left. Be that as it may, Iqbal’s insistence that freedom of expression was a sure signpost towards progress really resonated with me, and I thought I wanted these verses to be offset with visuals that show how far we’ve strayed from the message of our national poet. I think the video, as an essay, is open to a number of interpretations, and that’s actually a really positive outcome. What Zain and I have in our heads, or what Adil was thinking need not limit the viewer in their interpretation. It wasn’t easy trying to find the footage that we wanted and we weren’t always successful. Like every Pakistani all the time, we tried our best to make do with what we had.”

If you look at the music video, it is less of a colorful music video and more of an essay with footage put together that paints an image of what was envisioned by the great poets and where we stand in what’s the present local and global context.

That Zain Ahmad managed to create the sonic landscape for this song by himself (as well as ‘Khudi Kya Hai’) is a sign that Poor Rich Boy can hold a mirror to society and make us question what journey each one of us is on and most importantly, why?

For a band with albums like We Are Your Friends and Old Money – both in English – their Urdu songs have a nuanced ability to make us ponder upon our own selves and what circumstances surround us and why we are so detached. Point, Poor Rich Boy!