The Local Train
The Local Train is an Indian Hindi rock band from New Delhi. Since its inception in Chandigarh in 2008, the band has gone on to achieve massive commercial success and has become a staple in cultural and music festivals across the country. The Local Train is widely known for its emphatic lyrics - which are a blend of Urdu and Hindi[1] - and their signature lies in a raw, honest sound which resonates with the youth.
The Local Train (Band) | |
|---|---|
 The Local Train | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Chandigarh, India |
| Genres | Indian rock Pop Rock Indie Rock |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Sennheiser & MTV |
| Members | Raman Negi Paras Thakur Ramit Mehra Sahil Sarin |
| Past members | Abhinav Bansal Mohit Kumar |
The band is best known for singles such as "Aaoge Tum Kabhi" and "Choo Lo". It released its acclaimed debut album Aalas Ka Pedh in 2015 and its second album Vaaqif in 2018. They claim to be heavily influenced by the likes Nirvana, Aerosmith, U2, Porcupine Tree to Lucky Ali, Indian Ocean, The 1975, and Alt-J.[2]
Apart from being active at prominent college fests all over the country, The Local Train also frequents well-known musical hotspots such as Hard Rock Café, Bacardi NH7 Weekender, Social, Humming Tree, Farzi Cafe, SULAFEST and more.
Band members
- Raman Negi (star) – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
- Paras Thakur (loud) – Lead/Acoustic Guitar
- Ramit Mehra (heavy) – Bass Guitar
- Sahil Sarin (hard) – Drums, Percussion
History
At a nationwide talent hunt held in 2015, Sennheiser (a German music equipment company) ranked The Local Train as the No. 1 emerging band.[3] Following this win, the band released their acclaimed debut album "Aalas Ka Pedh" in September 2015[4] which consisted of 9 tracks, with Flying Carpet Productions. The album went on to become one of the highest selling independent albums of the year[5] and also featured on the list of “Most Streamed Albums” on Apple Music. The album was engineered by noted recording engineer Ashish Manchanda. Soon after its release, Chriss Hesse, drummer for the international rock act ‘Hoobastank’ and owner of the Lighthouse Recording Studio in California, mixed and mastered 'Aalas ka Pedh'. Since then, he has been working with the band on all their releases.
Post the success of ‘Aalas ka Pedh’, The Local Train witnessed a huge demand for their music. They were invited to perform at major festivals, venues, and clubs across the country owing to which they now enjoy a strong and faithful fanbase for their live act.
The band recorded its first music video "Aaoge Tum Kabhi" in association with The Morpheus Productions. The video went viral, amassing over 11.5 million views on YouTube and was featured in the soundtrack for Pan Nalin's Angry Indian Goddesses (2015) - a multi-award-winning film which was premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival. The band released its second music video "Kaise Jiyun" which featured Ryan Martyr, in association with The Morpheus Productions.
The Local Train's second album “Vaaqif” was released in January 2018.[6] According to the band, their second studio album touches upon a plethora of topics ranging from existential crisis to the frustration of getting nowhere in life and suffering that stems from communalism.[7] ‘Khudi’ was the first single released from this album. The music video was directed Vijesh Rajan, best known for the title sequence of Angry Indian Goddesses, which was featured in the top ten title sequences in the world in 2015 and produced by Gaurav Dhingra from Jungle Book Entertainment and Shreyas Beltangdy, who is known for his editing work in Eristoff, MTV's Bring On The Night and the highly acclaimed music travelogue, The Dewarists. The video stars Arjun Mathur, who is an acclaimed actor known for his edgy roles in movies like Luck By Chanceand My Name Is Khan, as the protagonist and according to the Band, 'aims at portraying the primal rush we feel while pursuing what we deeply desire.'[8] A massive success, 'Khudi' went on to win Platinum Film Of The Year (2017) in the Music Video category. "Dilnawaz" and "Aaftab" are also singles from the same album.
Discography
- Aalas Ka Pedh
Released on 25 September 2015 Track list:
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Manzil" | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Aaoge Tum Kabhi" | 4:13 |
| 3. | "Bandey" | 5:05 |
| 4. | "Choo Lo" | 3:53 |
| 5. | "Kaise Jiyun" | 3:59 |
| 6. | "Yeh Zindagi Hai" | 4:09 |
| 7. | "Dil Mere" | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Kaise Jiyun (Acoustic)" | 3:39 |
| 9. | "Yeh Zindagi Hai (Demo)" | 4:20 |
- Vaaqif
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gustaakh" | 3:04 |
| 2. | "Dilnawaz" | 3:27 |
| 3. | "Khudi" | 4:57 |
| 4. | "Aaftab" | 3:53 |
| 5. | "Mere Yaar" | 4:46 |
| 6. | "Mizaaj" | 4:23 |
| 7. | "Aakhri Salam" | 4:37 |
| 8. | "Vaaqif" | 6:20 |
References
- "The Local Train on their second album Vaaqif, changing the way Hindi rock music is perceived". Firstpost. 12 February 2018.
- "The Local Train". Platform. 2018.
- "Delhi Rockers The Local Train Announced Winners of Sennheiser Top50". The Rolling Stone India. 28 July 2015.
- "The Local Train Release Debut Album, Set Out On A Nationwide Tour". The Rolling Stone India. 9 September 2015.
- "Have You Heard The Local Train's New Single 'Khudi' Yet?". ATKT.in.
- "'H'indie rock: gear up for The Local Train's performance in Hyderabad". The Indian Express. 31 August 2017.
- "The Local Train on their second album Vaaqif, changing the way Hindi rock music is perceived". Firstpost. 12 February 2018.
- "Have You Found Your True Calling Yet?". Vibes Northeast. 22 June 2017.