UAE-based alternative rock band Physical Graffiti stuck to one motto when they created their second EP: No rules.
They weren’t going to be pigeonholed into a one-dimensional, genre-specific album. They were going to create return instead — a tranquil, free-flying 8-track record, destined to take its cues from lead vocalist and chief lyricist Zubin Arvoz’s recent trip to India. Everyday sounds (recorded on location by Arvoz) flutter in and out of focus amid the spacious melodies: birds cawing, footsteps on gravel, vehicles crawling and people conversing in the background.
“When we were writing these songs we shocked ourselves every session at the sound we were creating. It felt natural and real,” guitarist Sandeep Sequeira told tabloid!.
The finished product clocks in at just under 25 minutes — shorter than your favourite television program but just as satisfying. It touches on love and loss, never lingering on one or the other too long. And though the album is already available online, the band plans to launch physical copies later this year.
“We were pretty spontaneous and whatever you hear is done in the rehearsal room… Be it dancy, electronic, hard rock, alternative rock, ambient; we are inspired by each other and each other’s vast musical taste,” said Sequiera.
He was the last member to join the band in 2014, stepping in to help Arvoz, Darren Dharmai (bass) and Ankhurr Chawaak (guitar and backup vocals) as a temporary solution after they released their first EP. They’ve never asked him to be permanent, but it’s become an unspoken agreement between them.
“We became friends more than band members,” said Sequiera. “I was a fan first, and now, even though I create with them, I am still a fan of them.”
With return, Sequiera and the boys take a page out of the Frank Ocean playbook, focusing on innovation in storytelling; here, art dictates format and content is allowed to breathe, unrestricted.
“Our goal was to create a mood, a sense of escape, to transport you to that moment, an intro for each song so to speak. All the eight tracks in the EP connect and flow into each other. One track ends, another one has already begun,” said Sequiera.
The band has yet to foray into creating full-length albums, but until then, they hope to take return outside of Dubai.
“All of us have day jobs and most importantly we do everything that comes to Physical Graffiti. We write, produce, record and mix everything ourselves. Nothing extends outside the four of us,” said Sequiera.
