All aboard the ‘Hyena Express’

As afternoon turned to evening in my chat with Shonar Bangla Circus, it was evident that they had put their heart and soul into their debut album,'Hyena Express'. An amalgamation of nine spine-chilling tracks, including 'Mrittu Utpadon Karkhana', 'Ondho Deyal', 'Amar Naam Oshukh' and 'Kromosho', it tells the story of how the human race cornered itself into hopelessness. Even though the album is inherently musical, it reads like a postmodern book, across the tracks.

"We have been jamming for the better part of the last 10 years," says Ripon, the vocalist and lyricist of Shonar Bangla Circus. A poet at his core, his pen bled tears of agony while giving life to the tracks. "I wrote them at different times in my life. For example, Mrittu Utpadon Karkhana was written about the Iraq war." The band had found steam when the Shakil, the bass player, and Saad, the keyboardist, joined the line-up. 

Hyena Express was recorded live, with some necessary overdubs and added layers. "We wanted a live recording because it captures the essence of the sound that we wanted to produce," said Pandu. True to his words, the nimble human touches are what gives the album life. "Recording each layer separately, even though it is arguably more convenient, would take away from the soul of what we wanted to do."

Even though the album tends to evoke a feeling of dread, the deep-rooted message is designed to inspire correction amongst the listeners. "You have to take it as art," said Raju, "We merely pointed out what we felt what we were doing wrong. It is up to us if we want to realise the fallacies, and correct our ways."

The concept of Hyena Express draws parallel to the rampant pace at which we are on board of a reckless train towards injustice, destruction and dehumanisation. The train is run by "Hyenas", symbolising the selfish and greedy authorities in power, taking every opportunity to create chaos and divide for their own profit. Shonar Bangla Circus, a bona fide group of veterans, have created an epic.

The entire album is available to listeners on the band's YouTube channel. Shonar Bangla Circus is also planning to host in a unique interactive concert soon, where listeners can experience the tracks like never before.

Line-up

Vocals, Guitar and Lyric:

Probar Ripon

Guitar: Seth Panduranga Blumberg

Drums: Dewan Anamul Hasan Raju

Bass: Shakil Haque

Keyboard: Saad Chowdhury