The Yellow Diary is redefining independent music. The Mumbai-based alternative pop-rock band focuses on creating music that’s commercial, authentic and has a certain kind of novelty factor.
The five members — Rajan Batra (vocalist, composer and songwriter), Himonshu Parikh (keyboard, composer and producer), Vaibhav Pani (guitar), Stuart DaCosta (bass) and Sahil Shah (drummer) — have been composing soulful tracks with poetic lyrics.
Poetry in general is missing from today’s music but The Yellow Diary members like to believe otherwise. Parikh says, “It’s not missing in today’s day and age. If you look for it, you will definitely find it. Rajan himself is a modern day poet and he takes inspiration from things around us and translates it into beautiful poetry. That’s the reason our lyrics reflect poetry.”
They have realised that people connect with it and appreciate the lyrics and the depth of thought. “Our main aim is to keep our music relatable and honest. Poetry or not, honest words will always connect with the audience,” he says.
Ask them to define their music and Parikh says that their music varies from song to song. Elaborating further, he says, “But primarily, we have deep relatable lyrics and one can call it poetry. We always dress it up with fresh and modern sound scape. We often say, ‘it’s poetry with rock’ but every song is different.”
The band has recently released two EPs — Marz and Izafa and their new song — Rab Raakha. Parikh says that the track Rab Raakha is an ode to the belief that when you move forward in life, looking for light, there is some greater power (your loved ones) looking after you.
“We got inspiration for the song when one day Rajan got a call from his mother who told him that he was being a little aloof from the family, so she asked him what was wrong. He did not have an answer at that time but it came in the form of this song, which explained that when we are looking out for a future for ourselves, we don’t always pick up the phone and make that call. But we do believe that there is someone out there looking after us,” he adds.
Batra says that when they initially created the song, there were magical vibes in the room and they finished working on the song in four hours. “But then we have been performing this song live for a few years and it’s gone through its own journey. But when we finally decided to release it, we spent two days finalising and recording it, and a few more days, mixing it. A big shout out to the entire team who helped us make the song work,” he says.
The band members hail from various backgrounds, but they have one thing in common — their passion for music. With a blend of electronic and rock, they are a music powerhouse. “The fact that everyone brings their unique skills to the table is what makes our sound today,” says Parikh.
In a few years, the band has been able to create a loyal fan base and a niche for themselves. In spite of being busy with live concerts, they want to continue making music. “We will never stop writing music. It’s been hectic for us but we still find time to make something new and keep creating music. We have a few singles coming up this year and a few more music videos,” adds Batra before signing off.
