The Chronicles of #INDALOMEN

Photo: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

They came, they played, and they concurred. Starting off in the year 2012, Indalo gradually became one of the most promising rock bands in the country. Single – ISD – became extremely popular amongst rock music lovers. Some think of them as the ultimate rock icons while others worship them for their playing and singing abilities. Whether they are an indie or rock or a grunge band – is probably a common debatable topic amongst their fans, which they consider themselves free from any specifics when it comes to music. What started out as random jamming sessions between friends, became a new chapter on our country's rock and roll history. Recently, Indalo released their most awaited debut album, 'Kokhon Kibhabe Ekhane Ke Jane'.

The band consists of four members – Dio Haque on drums, Zubair Hasan on guitar and vocals, Bart Nandit Areng on bass and vocals, and last but not least Jon Kabir on guitar and vocals. In early 2012, Indalo started out with Zubair and Jon, jamming to their favourite songs. “There was no specific idea of what we wanted to do. We had no aim of going anywhere. We just covered what we wanted to cover,” says Zubair.  “Even after Dio and Titu, our former bassist joined the band, we were just going with the flow,” says Jon. “It was after creating ISD that we realised – we might be on to something.”

Released in August, 2013, ISD instantly became a crowd favourite. “The funny thing was that we never planned on naming it ISD We were all struggling to name the song and as we did our first show at the International School Dhaka, we thought of naming it ISD,” says Zubair.

Soon after Titu left the band for personal reasons, Bart, being the last piece of the puzzle, joined Indalo as their bassist. “They told me that it was going to be just a random jam, but when I heard about the songs which they wanted me to pick up, I knew instantly that it was going to be an audition as the songs were quite complicated in terms of musical technique,” says Bart. 

One of the aspects of the bands which concert crowds noticed was their chemistry on stage. They each have a clear understanding of each other's musical 'feels'. “This is because we are influenced by the same type of music. Everyone here is greatly influenced by 90's rock and roll. Bands such as Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Sound Garden, and Stone Temple Pilots inspire us a lot. Thus, we get what every member can or will try to do,” says Dio. On this topic Jon adds,” Another reason is everybody has a say in the band, there are times when Dio changes the whole structure of a song and we all go with it. I think this is also a reason behind out strong chemistry.”

From the very beginning, Indalo had a very raw sound to their songs, which is also the case in the first album. From drums to vocals, the album almost sounds like it was recorded live. “We wanted the album to sound like it sounds when we practice. We want our sound to be raw because humans are raw. Rock and roll shouldn't sound perfect, that is the beauty of it. It is played by humans and humans aren't supposed to be perfect,” says Zubair. “There are, I think, two songs which we played live in the studio. All the tones are captured straight from the amplifier. If one listens to it carefully, they will hear the creeks and cracks of the recording room,” says Jon.

With distributing help from ME Label, 'Kokhon Kibhabe Ekhane Ke Jane' was launched on September 6. Since then, it has received some excellent reviews from the listeners. Fans say that they have been waiting quite some time for a raw rock album like this one. Other than the CD, the album consists of pictures and stories of Indalo and their views. “The album is basically us, it is how we wanted to do it, and how we are going to do in the future,” says the band. In our country, where rock and roll influences a lot of urban youngsters, this album and the band Indalo stands out as a shining example of our country's music scene.