Watch: Motherjane’s Feisty New Video for ‘Namaste’

Last August, Kochi prog-rock outfit Motherjane embarked on a multi-city tour across the country to commemorate 21 years as a group. Since then, the band has been working on fresh material to follow up their previous two records, 2002’s Insane Biography and 2008’s Maktub.  Their latest is a single titled, “Namaste,” which checks all the boxes for a straight-up Motherjane offering: hypnotic riffs, chunky guitars and a solid groove.

Accompanying the song is a gripping music video directed by Arun Azhakesan. A beautiful convergence of music and dance, the black-and-white clip features Thiruvananthapuram dancer duo Ullas & Bhoomi performing a thought-provoking choreographed piece. Their sequences are intercut with shots of individuals from all walks of life lip-syncing to the song.

The idea of working with Ullas & Bhoomi came about after Thomas’ brother Paul suggested that the band do an inter-disciplinary collaboration. Says John Thomas, “We narrowed down to these guys, and they were ready, very interested. They came up with a theme to go with the song.”

The band describe “Namaste” as a “love song for humanity.” The drummer explains, “The lyrics are basically borrowed from the greeting Namaste [a Sanskrit word] which translates to, ”˜I recognize your soul.’” He adds, “So this thing is a very profound concept because you’re not greeting the form which is a human being but you’re directly addressing the soul of a person.”

The band currently comprises Thomas, bassist Clyde Rozario and vocalist Niranj Suresh. Motherjane will soon be holding guitar auditions after their longtime guitarist Nithin Vijayanath left the band earlier this year. “By the end of this month, we will have our full setup,” says Thomas.

The band plan to release two more singles in the coming months as well as wrap up recording their as-yet-untitled third record, out in 2019. “We are in the production process currently,” he says.

Watch the video for “Namaste” below: