Ali Gul Pir, Pindi Boys release political-themed songs ahead of elections

KARACHI: With the 2018 elections upon us, the air is full of political-themed conversations and arguments. And Pakistani artists are engaging actively, all in their own unique way.

Comedian Ali Gul Pir released his newest track titled Paris, a satire on politicians claiming to transform Pakistani cities into the likes of foreign capitals. The lyrics are classic Pir style with the comedian mocking politicians who claim to transform cities while more pressing issues such as justice for the poor are put on the back burner. Verses such as "Sheher ko Paris bana den, khilayi makhlooq hain pyare,” and “Kuch to vote laga de, mujhe bas PM bana de” hit the mark.

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Besides the obvious, what makes the 96-second track even better is SomeWhat Super’s electronic music and the trippy video. The music troupe perfectly fits the mood that the video creates by playing with spatial dimensions.

Ali Gul Pir adds his flavour to viral Pakistani photos and the result is seriously funny

“It’s highlighting the worst kind of negativity that we are surrounded by and up against. It’s a commentary on the political situation of our country,” Pir told The Express Tribune about the music video’s message. “We should all go out and vote and not sit at home. A lot of people don’t agree with the political leaders and the democratic ideas that we have but this is all we have and we have to find a way and work with it. So the message is to go out, vote and do your part.”


 

Meanwhile, Jasim Haider and the Pindi Boys, who contested in last year’s Pepsi Battle of the Bands, also released a new track called Hun Bas. This is a deviation from the band’s usual bluesy sound as they've stepped into hard rock.

The song, written by Haider and composed by the band’s bassist Syed Mohsin Raza Zaidi, talks about the youth being fed up of the unstable political conditions in Pakistan and how it’s high time something is done. Hun Bas simply gives voice to the youth’s aggression with lyrics like "Kab tak chalega aise rahega, uthega akhir kab yeh kaarvan, bahega khoon bahega, sahega zulm ki yeh zubaan."

PHOTO: SCREENGRAB

On the change from their usual sound, Haider said, “This is not a typical Pindi Boys composition. It’s a song about political situation in Pakistan and the youth being sick of what’s happening around us.” He said they first wrote ab bas but then changed it to the Punjabi alternative with hun bas, as it encapsulated the energy, rage and aggression perfectly.


Haider said the song came from their hearts. “We don’t have a lot of patriotic songs and honestly, it doesn’t come easily to us to write one too. But we are sick and tired of the situation so it just happened naturally. There is a lot of aggression and frustration surrounding the political environment and we want to express it, with a different approach. We didn’t target any particular party but summed up what we felt.”

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