Exclusive Stream: Fakeer and The Arc Escape Hustle Culture on Comeback Song ‘Fly’

Bengaluru hip-hop, jazz and soul-informed act Fakeer and the Arc return with an escapist new song “Fly” featuring drummer Sange Wangchuk (from neo-soul/hip-hop act T.ill APES) and bassist Raghuraman Ramasubramanian. “Fly,” which will be followed by an animated music video on June 22nd, is the act’s first release since their debut EP Ikigai from 2020.

The current lineup of the band comprises Oran Brahma aka Fakeer on vocals and guitarist Aniket Roy Chowdhury, plus Wangchuk on drums and Ramasubramanian (who was the core duo’s former music teacher) on bass. Written during the pandemic, “Fly” stays true to Fakeer and the Arc’s mind-bending, groovy and experimental songwriting, dipping into several genres for a jam that gets capped at just three minutes.

The band says in a statement that “Fly” is “examines ‘hustle culture’ which our generation seems to be trapped in.” They add, “It talks about the longing to leave everything behind and escape to live a simpler life.” The hook for the song encapsulates it all, with Fakeer intoning in a wistful way, “Ever think of flying away/Finding a better place to follow the days?”

Fakeer and the Arc began jamming with Wangchuk amidst hangouts “in order to remain sane” and their weekly meetups led to working on each others’ ideas. The band says it evolved into five songs, the first of which is “Fly.” Their search for a bassist who would match the energy of the song ended when they ran into Ramasubramanian, who adds funkiness to the track.

The band says “Fly” is the first of several tracks they’ve been working on and have plans to go the singles route and release each song in the coming months.

Listen to “Fly” below. Pre-save the song here.