aswekeepsearching: Transcending Language
In an age where metal is continuously evolving and pushing into uncharted waters, the word unique is now more common than Zubat’s making appearances in caves in the Pokemon video game series. It’s become a very oversaturated word and now, for an artist to be truly unique, they have to be packing something incredibly special. This especially applies to the world of post-rock. In a style where creativity and expansiveness is vital for band’s sonic formula, to be truly unique, rules and conventions must be broken. Hailing from India, ASWEKEEPSEARCHING are putting this into practise through their blend of traditional post-rock with traditional Indian soundscapes and as third album Rooh approaches, guitarist/keyboardist Shubham Gurung tells Distorted Sound that, even now, the band are still evolving.
“Since Zia, the band has changed and evolved quite a bit considering the amount of time we have been together on the road playing shows, being together for long periods of time, experiencing and going through all the ups and downs of life together,” he says. “That has certainly made us know each other and our personal selves better which has in turn reflected in our music and the new album as well.”
Experiencing the ups and downs of life together as a band, a unit, is the most natural and, in a sense perfect, way to evolve and push their sonic blueprints forward. Touring is no easy feat but for ASWEKEEPSEARCHING they have experienced a surge in popularity since the release of 2017’s Zia. It was that album that opened the door to international touring. To follow such success brings a certain amount of pressure when it comes to crafting what comes next and bassist Robert Alex explains that whilst the pressure certainly exists, the band are taking it in their stride.
“For the people who follow your work, there will always be a certain pressure or expectation to match if not surpass it, but we try to consciously block that out. While we were coming up with the initial ideas that were eventually moulded into the songs within Rooh, we did at some point or the other think along the lines of what our audience would want or expect, and realised its not the best approach to have and instead focus on shaping the sound we envisioned, writing music that came naturally at that point in time, and we’re very happy with the end result, and based on the reception from the album listening sessions that were held over the past month the fans are too.”
By taking pressure in their stride and growing together as a band, Rooh stands as a bold new entry from ASWEKEEPSEARCHING. A concept album based on growth, (“Rooh is something that reflects our personal experiences, our beliefs and journey that we’ve been through till this point of time,” Shubham says), it is not just the themes on their new effort that demonstrate the development of uniqueness surrounding the band. Since their origins the quartet have been fusing traditional Indian sounds with that of Western post-rock, but it is with Rooh that it feels like the final product.
“This has been something each of us has wanted to experiment with for a while. Zia ended up being a heavier album compared to Khwaab, and was the album we decided to really experiment with,” Robert tells us of the origins of this fusion. “We collaborated with Sambit [Chatterjee, drums/percussion] where he played the tabla, collaborated with violin extraordinaire Ajay Jayanti on There You Are, Reminiscence and Kalga, and with Rishabh Seen who plays the Sitar on Sometime Somewhere. With Rooh we wanted to push the envelope even more with strings by Ajay Jayanti and orchestration composed by Amitabh Barooa, additional percussions by Sambit, and on Sambit‘s suggestion we collaborated with Ustad Allah Rakhha Kalawant who has composed the Sarangi line in Aas Paas. We wanted to experiment with Indian Instruments for a similar reason we wanted to have our lyrics in Hindi – some emotions get lost in translation, and some melodies emote best on specific instruments.”
It’s a fascinating blend and one that has magnificent results. Far from a gimmick, the music that ASWEKEEPSEARCHING have crafted in their time together as a band is as beautiful as it is expansive and Rooh demonstrates this in abundance. What further enhances this is the fact, as Robert explained before, is that the lyrics on the album are sung entirely in Hindi, which only bolsters the emotional impact of the music on offer. But surely, having lyrics sung entirely in a language that is not English may be lost in translation? Vocalist Uddipan Sarmah believes otherwise. “This album has more lyrics because I have more stories to tell. Each song has a story and that leaves me with more bandwidth to write more words. After Zia I wanted to write more and sing more, I guess our experiences with lot of travel, nature and being a family, gave me this opportunity to write and sing. From our first album, Khwaab, the band’s music was never limited to language. When we went to Russia in 2015, they appreciated every bit of our music and that made us realise that, ASWEKEEPSEARCHING is beyond language.”
It may be an oversaturated word, but one can argue that these post-rock trailblazers are deserving of the word ‘unique’. Transcending borders and language, ASWEKEEPSEARCHING are crafting something beautiful of the highest order. It’s a gorgeous escape. So join the band for the ride.
The new album arrives two years after your last effort, 2017’s Zia. How has the band developed in that time?
Shubham: Since Zia, the band has changed and evolved quite a bit considering the amount of time we have been together on the road playing shows, being together for long periods of time, experiencing and going through all the ups and downs of life together. That has certainly made us know each other and our personal selves better which has in turn reflected in our music and the new album as well.
People say that by your third album, you have found your sound as a band. Would that be the case with Rooh? Does this album perfectly represent the sound of ASWEKEEPSEARCHING?
Uddipan: I don’t know if we have found our sound yet, but yes the new sound is definitely satisfactory. We are a band who loves experimenting and have never thought twice before trying out new approach towards songwriting. That makes us even more curious to keep searching for newer sound. This album is definitely a stepping stone to something fresh in the coming days for the band.
Rooh can be described, albeit loosely, as a concept album centred around growth. Can you elaborate on what themes and concepts you explore on this album?
Shubham: Rooh is something that reflects our personal experiences, our beliefs and journey that we’ve been through till this point of time. Every song has an emotional theme and location attached to it. The whole album goes through series of emotions expressing sadness, grief, angst, catharsis ending with very positive, hopeful and bright future, which reflects all the different phases of life that we as a band has been through while writing this album.
Perhaps the most intriguing thing about your music is that you combine traditional Indian soundscapes with more typical western instruments to create your sound. Can you detail the origins of this fusion and why you wanted to create something like this?
Robert: This has been something each of us has wanted to experiment with for a while. Zia ended up being a heavier album compared to Khwaab, and was the album we decided to really experiment with. We collaborated with Sambit where he played the tabla, collaborated with violin extraodinaire Ajay Jayanti on There You Are, Reminiscence and Kalga, and with Rishabh Seen who plays the Sitar on Sometime Somewhere. With Rooh we wanted to push the envelope even more with strings by Ajay Jayanti and orchestration composed by Amitabh Barooa, additional percussions by Sambit, and on Sambit‘s suggestion we collaborated with Ustad Allah Rakhha Kalawant who has composed the Sarangi line in Aas Paas. We wanted to experiment with Indian Instruments for a similar reason we wanted to have our lyrics in Hindi – some emotions get lost in translation, and some melodies emote best on specific instruments.
Now, the lyrics are entirely sung in Hindi, which I think makes the music all the more inviting and beautiful. Why did you decide to do this and do you ever fear that the translation/understanding of your lyrics may be lost?
Uddipan: This album has more lyrics because I have more stories to tell. Each song has a story and that leaves me with more bandwidth to write more words. After Zia I wanted to write more and sing more, I guess our experiences with lot of travel, nature and being a family, gave me this opportunity to write and sing. From our first album, Khwaab, the band’s music was never limited to language. When we went to Russia in 2015, they appreciated every bit of our music and that made us realise that, ASWEKEEPSEARCHING is beyond language.
Rooh is out now via self-release. ASWEKEEPSEARCHING are featured in our latest digital issue. Subscribe to our Patreon Page to read the feature.
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