Like many Indian rock acts of recent years, The Lost Symbols seem undeterred by the limited attention span of new-age listeners. Among today’s Reels-addicted generation, artists are mostly sticking to not more than three minutes of music (or two in extreme cases). But true to the rest of their discography, the Jaipur-based rockers rely on five minutes of atmospheric richness for their newest single Khidkiyan. 

Lyrically, the song is a yearning for the Eternal Being. We all pray to God or whatever supernatural force we believe in whenever we are covered in darkness. But hopelessness is obviously bound to set in when we find no answer from up above. Khidkiyan explores such questions centering around the path to enlightenment and the confusion that ensues. 

Offering no easy answers, Khidkiyan builds up with some gentle vocals that crescendo towards a rousing interlude. If you start feeling the depth of the lyrics, the guitaring towards the end would start feeling dramatic as ever. 

In terms of the composition, Khidkiyan might not be the most original-sounding indie rock offering but it does brim with a sense of nostalgia. Whether this nostalgia is intentional or unintentionally influenced, can be debated among listeners. But what is certain is that The Lost Symbols carry a quintessentially 2000s rock sound, the one that we heard with Indus Creed or the Pakistani duo Strings. It is definitely a welcome change to hear such a sonic style when the indie scene is having a dearth of good soft rock songs. 

With enough repeatability and a good message, Khidkiyan is bound to impress both fans of the band as well as new listeners. The single is a part of The Lost Symbols’ upcoming album GHARQ which does seem to carry a lot of hype for rock aficionados within the scene. 

Verdict: Enlightenment with confusion leads to an atmospheric track.