Funk hues to determination

A progressive rock number with a vintage feel

Motivational songs are the last genre you would find me recommending — most tracks that claim to spur you on end up putting one to deep sleep. But in the hands of a capable progressive rock band like the Mumbai-based group Yugaant, motivation takes on psychedelic hues, effectively negating all soporific effects. Another aspect of this number that strikes an instant chord is the quality of the rendition.

Zidd is Yugaant’s latest single released last month. It combines some powerful lines with elements from prog rock as well as good-old classical rock thrown in. Somehow, it still manages to retain a vintage feel to it, which is perhaps mostly due to the lead singer Ashish Naskar’s solid singing abilities. The video is all funk that goes very well with the drum-heavy number and the distorted guitar interludes. Zidd, incidentally, is a precursor to the band’s debut EP Faasle to be released sometime early next year.

Often, this column ends up advising you to listen to the song and ignore its video, but in this case, the track is immensely elevated by the cleverly engineered video — so yes, see and listen both.

Play By Ear showcases a potential earworm every week for you, the discerning listener, who is on the hunt for some musical serendipity.