A melody of peace 

BENGALURU : They say the toughest battles are the ones that cannot be seen. Which is why many might relate to city-based Iram’s new single, called Karaar. The art-rock band uses the song to speak about rediscovering oneself and making peace with that. The band comprises singer-songwriter Neil Simon Abel in the lead, drummer Shawn Jacob, guitarist-keyboardist Aadarsh Subramanian and bassist Shashank Dutt. “Everyone of us has surely come to point where we think ill of ourselves or have not been comfortable with ourselves. The song is about accepting who we are and the contentment that comes along with it,” says Abel, who explains that ‘Karaar’ means peace and tranquillity. 

Though written a year ago, the song took a while to be produced. “We finished a part of the production before March. But as the lockdown started, we had no access to studios and had to wait till the curfew was relaxed a bit,” says Abel, who has written and made the primary composition of the song. Interestingly, the song also incorporates lyrics in Urdu lyrics.

“Although I am from Bengaluru, I was raised in Muscat, where I had many Pakistani friends. Growing up, I was exposed to many Urdu songs, which had a deep impact on me. I am most comfortable writing or singing in Urdu. I would find it difficult to get the dialect right in other language,” says the 30-year-old vocalist.

The aim, he adds, was to not have an “over-produced” track. “We have tried to do pretty much what we have done with the songs earlier. While the basic composition was done by me, we did the touch up with the other band members’ inputs,” says Abel.

The band, which was formed in 2016, has come a long way since their debut Azal. With the exit of co-founder and guitarist-keyboardist Gaurav Govilkar, it took them sometime to become regulars in the city’s live circuit again. Now the group is doing intimate gigs and after the lockdown, they too are trying to make the most out of digital concerts.