Self-discovery is a theme that’s often evoked time and again, in the pantheon of Indian soft-rock anthems. From indie classics to recent examples like The Local Train’s Khudi, Mumbai-based music duo Eeshan :Kaushik (comprising of Eeshan Tripathi and Kaushik Ramachandran) tread on familiar ground ticking not only the boxes of poetic lyrics that focus on ‘living in the moment’ but also including a wanderlust-driven music video that has the generic traveler riding a Royal Enfield on a mountainous path.
But does this make Eeshan : Kaushik’s Khoye Pal a cliched reworking of oversaturated themes? Thankfully not.
Even if the song presents a sound and style that one might have heard in other such songs on self-discovery, Khoye Pal still stands out on its own, thanks to the duo’s stellar production and Kaushik Ramachandran’s passionate vocals. The production aside, Milton Daniel’s guitars shine as he crescendos towards the finale with some energetic solos.
The essence of the song lies in hitting the pause button of life every now and then and appreciate the little moments that we often seem to ignore. It’s a good-enough escapist anthem of sorts and is easy to listen to, from the beginning to the end. In the start, one might be skeptical considering the aforementioned themes of hope and ‘running away from the hullabaloo’ have been quite common in both indie pop/rock and Bollywood music.
But as the song picks up pace, one would notice that Khoye Pal is a fine reworking of these cliches, eventually resulting in a positive mood.
As mentioned before, Khoye Pal has a travel-based video that would instantly arouse fans of films like ‘Into the Wild’ or any of Imtiaz Ali’s filmography. However, just like the track itself, the video (directed by Varun Gathani) reworks the genre tropes to present an aesthetically pleasing set of visuals. Set in the mountains and valleys of Himachal, the video has enough time lapses and bike rides to impress viewers.
Verdict: A soulful reminder to ‘live in the moment’ that transcends above familiar tropes.
