For Old Fans And New, Aswekeepsearching’s 3rd Album ‘ROOH’

Aswekeepsearching’s ‘ROOH’ has been one of the most anticipated albums of this year. Arguably the biggest post-rock band in India, the band created a lot of hype around it and if you ask us, the album has lived up to the expectation. The story of the album begins last year, when the band announced that they’re working on a new EP but soon surprised their fans by a follow-up announcement earlier this year, saying that the EP was now going to be a full-length album. The band’s vocalist and guitarist, Uddipan Sarmah went onto travel to 20 cities, conducting 24 listening sessions for ‘ROOH’ to try and give the fans an intimate first-hand experience engaging with the band’s music.

‘Rooh’ is by far is the most vocal-driven out of all the material the band has put out previously. The vocals are complemented by some grand operatic/orchestra-like compositions through the album. The production on this album is also the most elaborate out of all the previous releases. The band has a title-track on their album for the first time since their inception and each and every track on the album has a story behind it.
The 8 track album has seen various collaborations. ‘Green and Blue’, the third track on the album has been co-written by SpitFire, the Mumbai based hip-hop artist. An aberration on the album is ‘Aitbaar’, an acoustic track with simple yet beautiful guitar arrangements and mesmerizing vocals. This will be the first acoustic track that the band has released. Shubham, the band’s guitarist, has meticulously laid down the synth parts, adding to the grandiose of the album. While talking about ‘Rooh’ we have to talk about the arrangements on the songs which makes the album cohesive. The melodies are gorgeous and seep into your brain. Every track on the album echos a particular feeling, often relating to a particular story which was clearly evident in the post-listening-session talks that the band conducted. The songs are written and sung with a lot of passion. Rooh is full of lush harmonies and meaningful lyrics.

Although the album is fresh and quite different from Aswekeepsearching’s earlier work, it still retains the older elements that the band is known for, making it a delight for fans. This record is well-rounded and is an introspective delight. It seems that the band is going to make a lot of new fans with this release. From start to finish, the album is gorgeous and blissful. Catch Aswekeepsearching live in your city as they embark on their album launch tour starting 1st October in Guwahati.