Their second single dials up a quintessential Indian rock sound, drawing from blues, grunge and alt-rock
Bengaluru-based rock trio. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
The Puncher Shop deliver an aptly punchy song with their single “Band Aid Love,” which was released in April. Glued together with all the makings of a Nineties rock-informed tune, the song from the Bengaluru trio dives into a story of love and self-awareness, powered by fuzzy rock riffs, bluesy melodies, sing-along vocals and a fist-tight rhythm section.
The band says in a statement, “The lyrics have a more compassionate twist, speaking of love and forgiveness, and about moving away from a difficult breakup and finding the strength to love again; not only forgiving others, but also yourself.”
“Band Aid Love” is The Puncher Shop’s sophomore release, following their hypnotic 2021 single “The Specter,” which clocked in at 10 minutes. This new song, however, keeps it to a crisp four minutes, which is par for the course within the rock realm of choruses and mandatory guitar solos. The song builds up to an echoey hook that advises to “rip the band aid off” and come clean from a difficult situation.
Comprising drummer Gowri, guitarist-vocalist Sharjes Mohammed, and backing vocalist and guitarist Anirban Das, The Puncher Shop wrote “Band Aid Love” about three years ago, when they first began jamming together. The band describes it as the track that brought them into action, being “the first piece of music” they ran through during their first ever jam session.
“The band flowed naturally to a riff idea that Anirban came up with,” a statement says.
With two singles out so far, The Puncher Shop is going to expand into a quartet as they are seeking a permanent bassist. In the meantime, “Band Aid Love” featured Mumbai-based Titus Pinto (from rock band Hook and part of Shubhangi Joshi Collective). The track was mixed and mastered by Chinmay Agharkar, founder of rock/metal project GrooveBot and axeman for fusion band Paradigm Shift and rock act Hook.
The Puncher Shop say they’re working on a full-length album next, which they hope to release in the near future.
Listen to “Band Aid Love” below. Stream on more platforms here.
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