Journey To Nowhere’s bassist Jeet Pathak’s new single Kafir is quite a sonic
experiment, incorporating fast-paced instrumentals along with disturbing
sounds of violent realities. The song additionally also features vocals by Jhanvi Soni, who closes the song with a philosophical commentary on how ‘dharm ka parda’ (literally translating to ‘the curtain of religion’) is making us more intolerant.

Religious extremism or intolerance isn’t a new phenomenon in the world and in our country, which unfortunately is only increasing in recent times. A song like Kafir (that ironically translates to ‘infidel’) with minimal lyrics tries to capture this atmosphere of trouble and uncertainty. The cynical overtones can be compared to a few other introspective releases from this year like the rant-like rap track Do Guna by Seedhe Maut and the experimental sound collage 2020: A S*** Show by Aditya Kaushik. Merging the music with archival audio footage and the sounds of gunshots, military sirens among others, give Kafir a gritty, and raw tone.

As for the instrumentation, Pathak’s composition is led by his bass, drums by Niklesh Mavapuri, and Nandish Chorawala’s guitars. The latter two are
Pathak’s own bandmates from Surat-based rock outfit Journey To Nowhere.
The production is on point and perfectly encapsulates the disturbing
soundscape that the artists aim to achieve.

For obvious reasons, the song’s unapologetically raw atmosphere might not be served as every listener’s cup of tea. Obviously, it’s not a song to groove to or vibe to. But for its sheer scale of production and committed realism, Kafir is an increasingly relevant song that needs to be checked out.

Verdict: Kafir serves as a gritty and raw reminder of dark realities plaguing our country’s people.

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