Midnight Agenda’s new EP Nafrat is a ferocious blast of punk rebellion that brings some light to India’s underground scene. This four-track EP is a manifesto of pure rage and resistance, channeled through high-octane hardcore punk with a gothic post-punk twist. Written entirely in Hindi, Nafrat (which translates to “hate”) takes aim at political complacency and social ills with unfiltered energy and intent. The one-man project out of Pune (helmed by Anmol Gupta) has pivoted from electronic music to raw punk, and here Midnight Agenda delivers DIY ethos at its finest.
Rage, Noise, and DIY Spirit
Musically, Nafrat hits hard and fast. The four songs serve up an unfiltered mix of thunderous bass, scorching guitars, and crashing drums. There’s a gritty hardcore backbone to every track, unruly and primed for chaos, while atmospheric goth and post-punk undertones occasionally shimmer through the noise. Despite all the raw aggression, the production is surprisingly clear and punchy, matching the caliber of western contemporaries. Midnight Agenda proudly wears its influences on its sleeve: you can catch echoes of the Dead Kennedys’ sharp-edged satire, Black Flag and Circle Jerks’ breakneck fury, and even a touch of Turnstile’s modern hardcore groove. Yet Nafrat doesn’t feel derivative; it forges those inspirations into a distinct voice that’s rooted in the artist’s own reality. The result is a sound that’s as authentically desi as it is punk, frantic d-beat drums and buzzsaw riffs colliding with an undercurrent of eerie goth melody.
Lyrical Fury and Standout Moments
True to its title, Nafrat pours out visceral anger in every note and verse. Midnight Agenda’s lyrics are unabashedly socio-political and satirical, packing critiques of society and government into clever metaphors and catchy refrains. Each track targets a different facet of dysfunction: “Khabar” opens the EP with a jagged punk anthem about media deceit, it starts with the biting line “Khabar khaali khokha hai, Intezaar kisne roka hai,” painting news as an empty shell and challenging the passive wait for truth. This song is arguably the EP’s most catchy moment, lacing its breakneck rhythm with moody gothic undertones and a call-out of propaganda and hidden agendas. The title track “Nafrat” keeps the momentum, marrying seething guitars to a stark Hindi refrain: “Dekho kaise kajal laga ke pure shehar ko ghoore; kajal nikale, paani mein daale toh nafrat hi ghule.” The imagery of eyeliner (“kajal”) washing off to reveal only hatred underneath is a potent metaphor for the ugly truth lurking beneath society’s facade. On “Samajik Bawaal,” Midnight Agenda rails against social chaos and hypocrisy with unrelenting intensity, while “Matdaan Ki Bheekh” closes out the EP in a blaze of hardcore punk fury, skewering the farcical theatrics of electoral politics.
Final Thoughts
Nafrat is an essential listen for anyone craving edge, urgency, and truth in their music. In a time of social unrest and political turmoil, this EP arrives as a bold statement of dissent. It’s raw, cathartic, and confrontational, a short, sharp shock of hardcore punk that dares listeners to face uncomfortable realities. It’s the sound of DIY resistance in 2025, and it just might be the rallying cry that a new wave of Indian punk needed.
