Watch Bombay Bandook’s Eerie Psychological Music Video for ‘Azad’

With their latest single “Azad,” Bombay Bandook break the two year silence between releases. Written in 2016 under the title “Patdeep,” the song stays true to the Mumbai-based fusion band’s rhythmically curious blend of prog rock, Indian classical and even a bit of math-rock. Vocalist Sannidh Shah says, “The ‘release hiatus’ wasn’t a bad thing, we could rework some of our songs, including ‘Azad;’ having new band members also offered fresh perspective into these songs.”

Their first single since 2017, “Azad” is anchored by drawn-out yet subtle melodies featuring guitarist (and lyricist) Brijesh Joshi, bassist-producer Jagravi Rao, guitarist Avneesh Gadgil, keyboardist Amarjeet Prabhudesai and drummer Shravan Samsi. “The really cool thing about writing Bandook songs is that it isn’t seated or rooted in specific genres, the song is king, it’s the most important person in the room and what the song demands is how we proceed with our structure and arrangement,” Rao says.

The vocals by Shah delve into “freedom in a more spiritual and emotional sense,” dreams, consciousness and thoughts. For the music video, Bombay Bandook returned to filmmaker Ritvik Tyagi, who has shot all their previous releases since their 2015 debut “Sagariya.” Tyagi and fellow Mumbai filmmaker and editor Rhea Talati craft an intriguing story about a protagonist (played by Shreyas Porus Pardiwalla) who weaves in and out of what seems like a past life. Guitarist Joshi says that they explained their own meaning of the song and heard concept and story ideas from both filmmakers, mentioning a few specificities along the way to suit the song.

With “Azad” marking a comeback of sorts for Bombay Bandook, the band promises more material will be out in 2020. Gadgil adds, “As far as gigs are concerned, we are in talks with venues and promoters to play shows sometime soon.”

Watch the video for “Azad” below.