It is always heartening to see new artists paying tributes to veterans and the latest in the list is Pepsi Battle of the Bands season 3 winner Bayaan. The band recently covered Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s kalaam giving a new life to Nayyara Noor’s rendition of Aaj Bazaar Mein.
Befitting for current times, the composition is soothing yet the lyrics have so much to say. The soul-stirring rendition perfectly describes the uncertain times we are living in as it is depicted by the empty roads and marketplaces of Chitral shown in the video. Everything is so serene and calm, yet shows the pain of isolation and abandonment.
This isn’t the first time that Bayaan has covered Faiz. The band also performed Aaj Bazaar Mein with Ali Azmat’s track Naa Re Naa during one of their stints at the TV show. Prior to sharing this longer version, the band announced it on Instagram:
“Such strange days where to survive we must chain ourselves to the ground. Or has it always been like that?” the post read.
The video of the song is unconventional, largely based on gray scale and is shot entirely in Chitral with the help of lead vocalist Asfar Hussain’s brother, Aizaz Hussain. It is sung by Asfar while the guitars are by Muqueet Shahzad, Shahrukh Aslam and Asfar Hussain and bass by Haider Abbas.
You can watch the complete song here:
