Winners of Pepsi Battle of the Bands in 2017, Kashmir have been steadily developing a strong following based on their past performances before the pandemic struck. After releasing their smashing debut album, Khwaab in 2020, the band was not only busy with performances, they also participated in distinct sessions across multiple platforms such as BBC Asian Network, delivering performances as unplugged or playful or studio-based.

Since dropping ‘Dhoop’ – the music video directed by Umar Anwar that accompanied the release of the album – in the present, Kashmir is slowly coming out of its shell. One cool example is their 2021 release, ‘Ayi Bahaar’ with a music video directed by Ali Raza Soomro.

In these difficult times, a song that is celebratory in nature and depicts a vibrant narrative that features a sonic landscape not usual to the band, is a win-win. Though a love song at face value, it is happier than previous Kashmir releases and is hopeful about the future. It is great to see just how far Kashmir has come from their PBOTB days. Watching the music video that compliments the song, you forget – even if it’s for a few minutes - the terrible news cycle and enjoy the merriment, the fleeting moments of happiness and a love that isn’t toxic. The good news is that there is room for all kinds of music thematically. Some will capture the dense brutality while others will bring a sense of joy. Kashmir has mastered that art of the latter with lyrics, sound and even their wardrobes. It’s a terrific start to what could be the band’s future sound and we’re thrilled.

Zahra Paracha, Talal Qureshi join forces for Maanu’s ‘Kidhar?’

Maanu needs no introduction after dropping his LP Yain City in 2020 and a series of singles since then that are either solo or collaborations. With a stack of songs, Maanu’s work on ‘Kidhar?’ for which he roped in Talal Qureshi and Zahra Paracha as music producers, is an unabashed effort to deliver a track that throws off Maanu’s growing fans. ‘Kidhar?’ does just that but in the best possible manner.

Both producers aligned with the project are multidisciplinary artists. Zahra Paracha plays several roles within the music industry, including co-founding Lahore Music Meet (LMM); she is also a member of Biryani Brothers (with Natasha Noorani) as well as Sikandar Ka Mandar. In addition to all this, Zahra Paracha is also a music producer. In similar vein, Talal Qureshi, who co-produced ‘Kidhar?’ with his creative endeavors was the perfect choice as co-producer. His roster includes playing at Lahore Music Meet as one of the main artists, appearing on BBC Asian Network and Diplo’s Mad Decent Block Party in Islamabad as SNKM (with Adil Omar) and producing artists as eclectic as Naseebo Lal to Faris Shafi. Given the combined talents of Zahra and Talal, it is not at all a surprise that they’re coming together for Maanu, another indie giant. With the music video directed by Zain Peerzada & Luke Azariah (Takatak), it is a visual treat, playing with graphics and glitches while keeping the focus on Maanu.

As for the song, its optimistic layers backed by young people dancing, make it pop. The single is part of an album called Sakuna Matata. It’s a refreshing effort for Maanu to come out of his comfort zone, in terms of the audio landscape and via the music video. This is what team effort is all about and presents an artist who is willing to take risks.

Sounds of Kolachi enter new terrain with tribute series

Sounds of Kolachi, spearheaded by Ahsan Bari, dropped their gorgeous solo album Elhaam a few years ago. But their album wasn’t a one-off effort, thankfully. A second album is in the making, Ahsan Bari confirmed several months ago. However, a number of members of SOK are also pursuing solo careers as well including Ahsan Bari - who dropped his debut EP, Guzaarish in 2020. Featuring five songs, the role of music director was effortlessly played by Ahsan and of artistic director by Raania A. K. Durrani of Salt Arts. In similar fashion, Natasha Baig, also associated to the band, dropped her debut album, the spiritual Zariya while Quaid Ahmed from the group also dropped his solo EP Sunlo in 2021.

While tracing solo careers of one of the most innovative music groups in Pakistan, it is easy to come across their other projects. Among our favourites is an original song called ‘Naara Qalandri’ that is presented by ACP Music and features Mai Dhai, Wahab Bugti, Ahsan Bari and Arman Rahim. You haven’t heard a modern folktale quite as compelling as this one that melts the heart and makes you smile at how the sound is adapted in a way that it fits in modern times. If anything, these are the songs of the soil that should be front and center instead of insipid ‘national-theme’ songs. The song makes no effort to pander to the public but is about pure intent and diamonds hidden in the desert.

While Ahsan Bari is of course living up to his promise of curating and making more music as are other band members, SOK were got together for what is The Tribute Series at Karachi’s District 19, powered by Demo. The series, according to its reports, featured SOK paying tribute to music legends from across the world. To that end, the first artist the band wanted to pay tribute to was Mozart of Madras, the iconic A.R. Rahman. “In this series we will curate performances, online workshops, and tutorials based around the style of these composers, singers, lyricists and producers.”

We can’t wait to see them live and see which composer/artist SOK chooses to pay tribute to in the future. It’s good to see music activity, even at a smaller scale as the pandemic is not over and done with.