'Go' is Atif Aslam, Abdullah Siddiqui's multiverse and we're all just living in it

Netizens can't help but replay the latest 'Coke Studio' number and neither can we.

It's 2022, we're fortunately in space, able to breathe and exposed to other galaxies of music, Abdullah Siddiqui is our tour guide with his futuristic sound and soothing vocals, capable of teleporting us to higher realms, while Atif Aslam is a star we're all too familiar with and can't get enough of.

Go hits the nail on the head with its execution, bringing back the magic of Atif’s lower register, combining it with Abdullah’s pop-infused vocals, and packaging it with today’s sensibilities. The latest Coke Studio 14 number is in fact an "an ode to sensitivity," as per the platform’s Instagram.

It is a “dreamy cloudscape, an earworm hook,” according to the song’s press release, with Atif’s otherworldly vocals and Abdullah’s sensitive touch “shooting Coke Studio into the stratosphere." With Go, the associate music producer, alongside Xulfi and lyricist Maanu, aimed to churn out the perfect blend of youthful energy and fresh sound. It is a potential commercial hit, provided the artists involved appear to have opened themselves up to doing commercial experiments while maintaining their aesthetic.

The song inculcates “brainy quirks” of Gen-Z breakthrough artists like Abdullah and Maanu, with Xulfi’s “wisdom” and Atif’s “heartfelt performance” bringing the song back to its Pakistani roots. The chorus stands out, courtesy of the sarangi line running through it.

Go speaks of “romanticism and being an emotional fool. It’s an anthem for sensitivity really,” says Abdullah. The video, by ace director Kamal Khan and production designer Eruj Hadi, opens with a whisper in a dimly lit room. As the song builds up, Abdullah traverses galaxies, coming upon Atif who struggles with doubts of his own.

“I felt like the core of [the song] has an electronic feel, which is why I wanted to bring in some fantastical elements,” Kamal says. Suspended in the clouds, the performers realise the only thing holding them back in life is themselves. Abdullah’s shine and Atif’s embroidered boiler suit are a stroke of inspiration by stylist Faraz Sheikh, who created gender-neutral styles to express a break from old ways of thinking.

By the time the chorus kicks in, the joy in their voices overflows. The singers open themselves up to the infinite possibilities that the universe offers.

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