From Lahore, With Love

July 25, 2021

With Yain City, Lahore-based singer-songwriter Maanu has emerged as one of the most collaborative and individual artist in our midst.

From Lahore, With Love

There are musicians who can ping your radar – by chance or simply because an algorithm suggests them based on other artists in your playlist. Maanu first registered on my radar – either by chance or algorithmic recommendation or both, I’m not sure. But the name is now synonymous with emerging artists to look out for.

While Maanu has undoubtedly made a name for himself, in collaborative and solo musical styles, dropping music videos with regularity, his full-length narrative, detailed in a microscopic fashion, begins with Yain City. Releasing the LP and working on new music at present, Yain City first arrived in 2020 and feels like the prologue to the musical trajectory Maanu hopes to follow.

While we’ve seen a plethora of music videos from this LP, as a fan of music, Yain City should be heard in its entirety at least once to find that commonality. It consists of eight songs and is a collaborative LP from the start, featuring the likes of Adeel Tahir, Zahra Paracha in credits (among others) with songs composed, written and performed by Maanu.

On ‘cGPA’, it’s clear that Maanu is talking about a catch-22 situation where being a musician comes attached with a dichotomy that it will get you nowhere and the correlation between education that will secure your future. But it is whimsical, because with the second verse, there is a subliminal answer to the question of GPA. The song doesn’t mean to lead its listeners to a journey of not getting an education but simply depicts just how Maanu is later encouraged by some that he will touch the sky one day.

Darwaazay‘ (produced by Jamal Rahman) with lyrics, composition and vocals by Maanu greets us with a music video. In a myopic world, Maanu simply asks us to open our hearts and should we do so, he is willing to share what’s in his heart. The deeper you dig, the more answers emerge. Among the tracks is ‘Melancholic’, a song about a conflicted relationship and all that has been left unsaid. This is not a song that has been treated with a dark layer upon layer of music. There is, instead, something very arresting about it which makes you go back for another listen. As for the music video, we are met by Maanu sitting on a sofa rapping while another scene cuts to a get-together where Maanu seems to be the host. As people mingle, a glitch keeps appearing and he sees someone else instead of those who are present. This is a tripped-out music video and complements the song quite well.

‘Khwaab‘ featuring Mujju is a broken love song if you reflect on the lyrics. Accompanied by a neon-esque performance music video, the delivery of the song is what elevates it and creates a distinction amidst other tracks. From ‘Khwaab’, we land on the lo-fi ‘Aik Khata’ that seems to be about finding happiness, a longing for the beloved and it fits right into the album like a missing puzzle piece. Yain City is cohesive in terms of music and lyrics, and has its own identity, rather than an attempt to sound like a cut between Tame Impala and Major Lazer.

A great deal of the credit belongs to the many collaborators who added a maturity to the sound that was needed for this kind of rap album.

Moving on, ‘Meray Dil Se’ which is written, composed and performed by Maanu, tells us that a matter of the heart is about to be revealed so listen if you want to. This is followed by a narrative that states how a happy relationship falls between the cracks. But it’s not entirely cynical about the loss felt. Instead, there is a sense of hope as Maanu notes, “Dhoondna parhay ga koi nayya raasta”.

If all the songs are heard in back-to-back fashion without the distraction of the internet or fighting that quick attention span, what will emerge is a well-directed album; the simplicity of the lyricism is what makes it a good album. Furthermore, as rap music continues to grow in a burgeoning fashion in different languages within an innovative sonic landscape, this may be the most approachable rap record.

While some albums may be too obscure to digest, Yain City is the opposite. The music team behind it is just as strong and it reflects in the sound. Not restricting to one name, Maanu’s Yain City has various names involved but by managing a clear identity in each department, Yain City is about a very promising artist with his own narrative that he is willing to share.

His debut album was only a start, it seems, with Maanu continuing his bid in 2021 with new songs. Call it neon or trippy, lo-fi or electronic colors, for a debut album, Yain City lives up to expectations and then some.

– Cover Artwork by Areeb Tariq    

From Lahore, With Love