The boys of Kashmir share a strong bond of friendship. They won Pepsi Battle of the Bands (PBOTB) in 2017 and the victory provided them with a chance to enter national consciousness, which they did, with great show of strength. This friendship is perhaps why Khwaab is one of the better albums to release of late.

Their chief songwriter, Bilal Ali, may write the lyrics but all of them - Vais Khan (lead guitars), Zair Zaki (rhythm guitars), Shane Anthony (drums), Usman Siddiqui (bass) and Ali Raza (keyboards/synths) - contribute to the overall making of the record.

The album includes a handful of songs such as ‘Parwana Hun’, ‘Kaghaz Ka Jahaz’, ‘Faislay’, ‘Soch’ and ‘Bhaago’ from PBOTB but there’s more to it. Kashmir began investing in live shows and singles accompanied by music videos and working with a slew of talented producers, directors.

Apart from the above-mentioned songs, Kashmir didn’t pick up all of its songs from PBOTB. Instead, they created new music and studio experiences with each single in an album containing 11 songs.

‘Pari’ addresses depression and anxiety; ‘Parwana Hun,’ with its sprawling music video that took the band to Balochistan, had another verse that singer-songwriter Bilal Ali added post Pepsi, ending the song on hopeful tones and giving it a fresh ending. This is the song where the music is so gutsy you have to applaud the band. The transitions are excellent.

Similarly, with ‘Khwaab’, the band through its music video conveys the idea that artists are used and disposed just as quickly. These times in particular, where an artist can’t earn from a live show because of the coronavirus pandemic, the music video of ‘Khwaab’ feels more pertinent than ever.

If the song ‘Pareshaniyan’ is uplifting, ‘Bhaago’ is a satirical take on how people run from depressed people. The trick is reading between the lines and understanding the context. As Bilal Ali confirmed with Instep, it is satire because some fall for the face value and believe the idea is to run from introverts, or a depressed person whereas the meaning is hidden within the lines.

What’s worth noting, and is perhaps the most important part, is how the band went with six different producers to give the album an embellishment that went beyond. Their choice of producers shows the band is aware of the capabilities of different artists, engineers and producers within the burgeoning music scene.

‘Pareshaniyan’, the mammoth single ‘Kaghaz Ka Jahaz’ and ‘Khwaab’ have been produced by Xulfi (assisted by Sherry Khattak); ‘Soch’ and its alternative version count Kashan Admani as producer; ‘Dhoop’ is produced by Shahi Hasan; Janoobi Khargosh (Waleed Ahmed) steps in as producer for ‘Pari’ and ‘Sab Saath Chalein’ while Adeel Tahir plays producer to the sprawling, ‘Parwana Hun’ and ‘Asli Hai Junoon’ .

Apart from the flourish from the multiple producers, the sonic landscape of ‘Khwaab’ is one that is a textured mix of ‘80s rock merged with 2020 layers of electronic and synths where need be. It is a good mix.

Kashmir’s big hitter is ‘Dhoop’, which is co-written by Umar Anwar. ‘Dhoop’ is special. It gets Bilal to smile in the music video; a rare sight. Lyrically, it is organic and mature because it notes that the journey is unfinished; experiences can be good or bad but in the end, the experience matters.

To pull that off is not easy because Bilal Ali is not writing lyrics like Taylor Swift and Brandon Urie’s ‘ME!’ He is delving deeper into the narratives of his band mates and their stories inspire the words, as he once admitted to Instep.

Along with producing ‘Bhaago’, Andy Rogers of BBC has mastered all songs so there is a sense of larger cohesion and you don’t feel like you’re listening to an album that throws everything that sticks to the wall. In the end, irrespective of delay, this Kashmir album is worth our time. Not since Noori has a band like Kashmir come along. Credit goes to their progressive rock sound and a singer who may well become the next big thing because of how he performs onstage (‘Mera Pyar’ cover anyone?) and how he is embracing the power of collaboration rather than narcissism.

Khwaab by Kashmir has been released by Rearts; it is available on all major digital sites for buying or streaming including SoundCloud, Saavn, Deezer and YouTube.