Arbovirus’ post-infection inception
After years of upheaval and lineup changes, Arbovirus is making a powerful return to the music scene, channeling the collective and deeply personal emotions that have shaped their journey
If you haven't been in the loop of the revolving circus around Arbovirus the past few years, allow me to bring you up to speed.
From 2016 onwards, original and long-serving band members—vocalist Sufi Maverick, guitarist Asif Asgar Ranjan, bassist Aldane Alam, and drummer Nafeez Al Amin—started an exodus abroad, chasing new dreams and different time zones. In the meantime, they dropped their third studio album in 2017 but by 2022, even Sufi bid adieu.
Enter ex-guitarist (or current, depending on your perspective) Suharto Sherif, who went full "Avengers Assemble" and rallied a new ensemble of musicians within a year and a half.
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They not only played live shows across the country but also started releasing new music and teased a new album under the Arbovirus name—all without the consent or presence of the other original members, leading to some legal and morally frowned upon back and forth between Suharto and… the rest of the 'real' Arbovirus, if I may say so.
Now then, that's enough history lessons for one day.
Currently, the band is on the verge of their renaissance with the old boys locking hands, most notably with Sufi officially returning to the band. They had a reunion concert in Canada a couple of months ago, and currently have tracks in the final stages of production.
They plan to release the first track of the forthcoming album "soon" and what you will read from here on are excerpts of conversations with Aldane and Ranjan regarding the present, and the future of Arbovirus.
"We wanted to send the message that no matter what went on, we, Arbovirus, are together; we are musically united. And we wanted to reignite the connection with fans and get back into writing songs, just enjoying making and playing music," said Aldane.
"We wanted to send the message that no matter what went on, we, Arbovirus, are together; we are musically united. We wanted to reignite the connection with fans and get back into writing songs, and just enjoying making and playing music."
Aldane feels, owing to recent shenanigans, the band has musically regressed rather than progressed. He feels now is the time to put a pause on all the background noise and just move on. And there's no better way to do it than by releasing fresh music.
"We are picking up from where we left off on the third album. However, I can't attach a genre to our new music because I myself have never really been able to define Arbovirus' genre—it's just a very relatable and genuine sound we end up creating when the four of us are playing together," he added.
Even though we can't definitively associate a genre to the album, The Business Standard can confirm that the band has landed on a title. Their fourth album is going to be named 'Nikhoj Shongbad'.
Ranjan, who has done the heavy lifting in terms of composition and songwriting, explains that the four of them have never faced challenges in creating music, despite living on different continents. Their decades-long friendship plays a key role in maintaining smooth communication.
To preserve their ideas, they record their Zoom meetings and upload them to a private YouTube channel, allowing the band to revisit them whenever needed. With no single member holding authoritarian control, the collaborative exchange of ideas remains unanimous, ensuring a seamless experience in crafting new music.
"Lyrics-wise, we went back to writing personal stuff—things the entire band relates to and experienced ourselves in recent years. The songs speak of the desolation and isolation we still face to this day, living abroad," said Ranjan.
The guitarist revealed that the band members have all faced grief at the loss of loved ones and parents, while they have also rejoiced at the fact of becoming parents themselves. He further elaborated that the recent fiascos surrounding the band had been the most unfortunate episode of their lives. All of these will be present in 'Nikhoj Shongbad'.
"There's despair, loss and a feeling of void—amongst other things," added Ranjan.
The band faced a dilemma in terms of choosing which track to release first—since they've been away for a while and the first track of a new album just had to strike a chord with the fans, the band decided to opt for a number that can easily resonate with the listeners.
"We asked ourselves which was the most 'Arbo-like' song in the album. That's the one we will be releasing first," said Ranjan.
For obvious reasons, we cannot reveal the name of the upcoming single but we did have a listen to the song and can vouch for the fact that it didn't disappoint— not in the slightest.
It starts with the ever so recognisable Bangla rock song formula— with an intro guitar plucking. Ranjan, with a slightly overdriven and fuzzy tone, starts the song off and as the first verse nears its end, Sufi's vocals soar and the drums kick in with an added layer of rhythmic guitar.
The song does have some tight rhythm segments and ends with an outro lead segment from Ranjan in the backdrop of Sufi's melodious voice. Any further information would spoil the song and we just can't do that.
