Dads in the Park: The Bangladeshi English band with global dreams

When Ahmad Ashik and Ishmam Selim Chowdhury created 'Lullaby' in 2017, they barely had an idea how massively popular this song would become one day. 

It was not until 2019, when Tajwar Ul Islam played the guitar bit in the song, that the duo - Ishmam and Tajwar - finally released it on their YouTube channel. 

And with 'Lullaby', they officially announced the inception of the indie rock band 'Dads in the Park'.

In the last two years, songs such as 'Pareidolia', 'Afeenolove' and 'Remembrance' have carved a place in the hearts of their listeners. In November last year, the rock duo released their fifth single 'Running on Empty'. 

Photo: Courtesy

The band recently sat down for a conversation with The Business Standard to talk about their upcoming songs and their journey so far. 

"Running on Empty is about how our society obstructs us from doing what we desire. This barrier is visible in every aspect of our lives. Whether it's an abusive relationship or abusive parents, this song asks you to break free from the barriers and let go of the mental stress," Ishmam, the lyricist and frontman of the band, said.

Dads in the Park have been very precise with their lyrics so far. Their songs, in English, pen down the complexities of human relationships and vulnerabilities, and the magical feeling of love. 

Ishman continued, "I put a lot of time and effort during the initial phase of writing a song. I think of a few songs' lyrics and finally start with the one I engage with the most." 

Ishman and Tajwar first met at BRAC University in 2014. After several jamming sessions and covering songs, they finally decided to launch their own band. They named it 'Dads in The Park' - an interesting name decided on by Ishmam.

Photo: Courtesy

We asked them what the name meant. 

In response, he said, "You know how dads take their children to the park. And when the child has a good time in the park, the dad feels satisfied. Our analogy was similar. In our band, Tajwar and I are the dads, our songs are our children and the world is our park. When our music is played anywhere in this musical park, we feel the contentment and satisfaction of a dad in the park with his child."

Upon realizing that their taste in music is similar, the duo decided to work on an original song - creating their most popular song to date 'Lullaby'.

Although the band has released only five songs till now, they initially had plans to release 10 to 15 songs at frequent intervals. 

"Honestly, we thought 'Lullaby' wouldn't get more than 5,000 views in the first couple of months on YouTube," Tajwar said, laughing.

However, the response was immense and 'Lullaby' reached 10,0000 views in no time, which was way beyond their expectation. 

Expressing the duo's feelings, Tajwar said, "The initial response made us believe that we did well and decided not to rush. Instead, we decided to take time and ensure the same standard."

Despite being a Bangladeshi band, Dads in the Park writes all their songs in English. We asked them if this limits their fanbase. 

Answering, Ishmam said, "I honestly feel comfortable writing songs in English. If you make songs for Bangladeshi and West Bengali listeners, the audience base is limited. But if you think on a broader scale, more people will be able to connect with our music. We want to reach an audience base that transcends boundaries." 

To this, Tajwar added, "Being able to compete globally is a big plus. Our local bands, us included, are qualified enough to compete globally and you just don't know who may breakthrough first."

Ishmam thinks that with time, the artistry of indie bands in Bangladesh has evolved. "If five bands perform on the same stage, each one will have their own sound signature," he said.

Although Dads in the Park is known as a rock band, they don't want to identify themselves as just that.