Soliloquy

I cannot write of The Yellow Diary without breaking into raptures. The philosophical, almost saintly quality of their creations draw me in but leave enough room for perception to build, albeit slowly. 

I heard them for the first time when they performed at the Zomaland in January this year and was instantly hooked to their bassist Stuart DaCosta and drummer Sahil Shah. 

However, it was only when I heard them again last weekend at Artistry, Novotel HICC, did the quality of their lead vocalist Rajan Batra become clear to me. Batra’s pitch and tenor are otherworldly to say the least, and the way he manages to match his notes with that of guitarist Vaibhav Pani deserves appreciation of the highest form. 

Himonshu Parikh, who provides backup vocals and mans the keys, remains subtle yet almost palpable to the touch. Despite not having released a full-fledged album yet, TYD have managed to bring out two EPs, and they have garnered immense success. 

Merging rock with indie has never seemed easier, and one would be forgiven if recollections of The Local Train come to mind. Everything that TYD do seems to be based on concepts, and that is what had endeared their ‘Kashmir‘ and ‘Roz Roz‘ to me in the first place. 

The former, which speaks of how one can ruin the idea of heaven with self-centric interests and belittling other, perhaps, wider concerns, is something I go back to from time to time whenever the world seems a dark place to inhabit. For anyone with tender inclinations, the lines ‘Tera hua mere bina, toh kya tera?‘ will move him/her immensely.

‘Roz Roz‘ of course, is more mainstream, and collaborating with Shilpa Rao, the band sing of how hard it is to forget the sweet nothings that the early phases of falling in love bring. ‘Aisa kya bhala man me khal raha?‘ is a similarly haunting line.

Everything that the band does seems to be with purpose, as one can well attest. There is hardly a millennial who has not heard of their chart-busting ‘Rab Raakha‘ which speaks of the journey one undertakes within oneself and yet leaves the greater good to the hands of the universe. 

One cannot, of course, let ‘Marz‘ or ‘Mujhe Mere Naam Se‘ go unnoticed lest their heavily individualistic tones ruin your perfectly good mood. I came away with a gem that one could only appreciate hearing the band live. 

‘Afzai‘ speaks of breaking free of societal constructs, and more importantly, relationships with other people that tie one down. Leaving with whatever little dignity one has intact cannot be equated with abandoning one’s responsibilities to others. 

There comes a time in everyone’s life when the burden of satisfying others’ needs, wants and desires proves to be severely debilitating. ‘Afzai‘ is encouraging on that note. Encouragement, often missing, goes a long way. The Yellow Diary move one’s heart tremendously, and they are the next big thing in Indian rock, if they aren’t already.

If you like my work, consider visiting my website to get in touch with more of my writing. You can follow me on Twitter as well. Also, sign up for the newsletter to get regular updates coming your way. I would love to talk to you!