UNMAAD

How did the band begin?

Unmaad started out as a project for a school function between Showrov and Tanvir. They recruited other members in the beginning, and it was a very different band with a completely different sound. Muhit joined in 2011. Finally, Munna and Mong joined around 2013-14. That is when the band took its current shape. It began as a project, became a heavy metal/hard rock band at some point, and later, found its place as a rock n roll band around 2015.

Tell us about the making of your debut album, ‘Run to Bahaddarhat’.

It was challenging, to say the least. We composed all the songs back in 2015-16. Everyone was staying in Chittagong back then, so everybody could pitch in. We completed recording the tracks sometime towards the end of 2016. But, we faced a lot of issues with studio engineers. Although our songs and tracks were ready and submitted, the tracks were not getting mixed and mastered. For a Chittagong band, recording an album in Dhaka is quite difficult because of the distance. You can’t communicate as much as you would like while working on an album. So, we decided to scratch everything and start fresh. We went to Sajid Sadat Khan of SJ Studio for mixing the album. He helped us out a lot, finishing all the mastering works in around three months. The guitar tracks were recorded in Muhit’s place, while Mong took care of his bass tracks at his house. For drum recording, we went to Studio 100 Miles, Acoustic Artz and Nafeez Bhai’s studio (Arbovirus). The vocal tracking was done by Bakhtiar Hossain of Bay of Bengal in his studio (TINT)

How did fans receive that album?

We were never hoping for a massive hit or anything. This album was our brainchild and we poured our souls into the songs. It being a rock and roll English album, a sound that most audience of Bangladesh are not familiar with, we did not expect much. But, the fans proved us wrong. During the Chittagong launch, people from all over Bangladesh came to see us. It has been three months after the launch and still the fans appreciate our music.

What are the aspirations for the band?

To keep doing what we love doing until we can no longer do it. That is what we set out to do from the beginning. We love our music and want to connect to our fans through our music. We want to do more shows, not only in Chittagong or Dhaka, but all over Bangladesh. Eventually, we want to broaden our horizons and book shows in other countries too.

Tell us about what inspires the members.

Good music always inspires the members. We experimented with a wide range of sounds in our early years as each of us has different musical tastes. Muhit and Munna were always influenced by many bands, like Queen, Nirvana, Foxy Shazam, Soundgarden, Coldplay and many more. Tanvir is a big fan of Metallica, and is more into heavier music. Mong and Showrov is more into AC/DC, Rival Sons, GnR, Aerosmith etc.

Where do you see the band in five years’ time?

If we can keep up the pace that we are going at, in five years we might have another album in our hands, along with a couple of singles and music videos. We want to have a couple of TV and radio shows under our belt too by that time. We hope to make better music and have a bigger UnmaadSquad.

What suggestions do you have for upcoming bands?

Work hard and don’t give up. It will pay off eventually. If you make good music, stay humble and do shows regularly nothing can stop you from climbing the ladder. In the age of social media, finding exposure is much easier than it used to be. You need to keep frustration and other negative emotions out of your mind and stay positive.

Any special message for the readers.

Thank you for staying with us in every step of the way. Everything that we are and that we do is for you. Your love and support have done nothing but humbled us, and we are grateful for it all. Stay with us and keep doing what you are doing and hopefully, we will have more to offer in the future. We love each and every one of you. #UnmaadSquad.