The rising indie-rock band of Bangladesh

Among the growing number of indie bands in the Dhaka music scene, Attic is one that takes inspiration from Bangladeshi rock bands while bringing a completely different indie-rock sound into light.

Starting out like any other group, Attic was formed way back in 2012, with friends getting together to cover their favourite songs. The band consists of a sibling pair, one cousin, and two friends. Considering they have been playing music and growing up together for the last six years, it is easy to presume that this band is like a close knit family.

After going through a few changes in the line-up their band currently includes Shadab Shams on lead vocals, Sharar Shayor on bass, Tauhid Shamsuddin on lead guitar, with Sayem Chowdhury playing the drums and Gaurav Nandyon the keyboard.

We had the chance to sit with Attic to talk about their taste in music, their influences, and choosing music as a career path.

How has the band's sound developed since its inception?

Sharar: Starting out, we were more into rock. Back then we covered songs by Nemesis, Black, and Foo Fighters. Later on, as our line-up changed and our taste in music evolved, we started covering bands like Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, The 1975, Daft Punk, Muse, and The Killers. But the goal was to always cover songs that we loved and that led us to grow from just a rock band to an indie-rock outfit. The change in our style reflects on the way our original songs have developed over time.

Tell us about the EP. What are some of your musical influences?

Shadab: The EP is called Do You Hear That and it consists of four original tracks. The first single from the EP, "Love Or Hate", was released back in February 14, 2015. We are currently working on the music video of the last single from the EP, "Echoes In Your Attic". All the songs are available on our YouTube channel.

Gourav: "Love Or Hate" was more rock n' roll, with The Fray being the main influence for the song. "Echoes In Your Attic" certainly has more of an Arctic Monkeys influence.

Sayem: As of now our sound is heavily influenced by bands like The Killers, The 1975, Muse, and of course, Michael Jackson.

Why did it take 3 long years for you to release an original Attic track?

Shadab: We didn't even think about releasing an EP when we released our first single. We took our time to develop our sound between releasing each single.

Tauhid: We didn't really want to rush into it, you know? It was important for us to grow as musicians before we could start working on original tracks. "Echoes In Your Attic" was made back in 2014. Compared to the initial version it sounds quite different now, because it used to be rock but has become more indie-rock with time. Again, this is because how our taste in music has evolved.

Sharar: We even thought of dropping an album back in 2016, but we wanted to wait it out and make the songs better. Looking for a producer took a long time and that slowed down the progress of the album as well. But we believe we've found a studio where we can record our album very soon.

And what can we expect from the album?

Tauhid: The album will be called Echoes In Your Attic and will have 10 songs. It has influences from Muse, The Neighbourhood, and 30 Seconds To Mars.

Shadab: Anyone can relate to this album because it is very thematic. It'll feel like home to anyone growing up in the city.

Why have you chosen to not seek out a good label that could manage your band for you?

Tauhid: There are a lot of complications when you work with a company and we feel like it is in our best interest to be independent for now.

Tauhid: We want to reach out to an international audience and that is exactly why we are active on YouTube. In fact, we are also in talks with distributors who will help us upload our work on platforms like Spotify or iTunes. We are trying to appeal to listeners who will appreciate our genre, as niche as it is.

Sharar: And once we are done with the music video and the album, we plan on reaching out to international labels who can promote our band globally.

Do you feel you have what it takes to pursue a career in music?

Sharar: Most definitely. We are all willing to let go of other avenues to pursue a career in music. I think that's the dream for every band who wants to make it. We practically grew up together, went to the same school and even spend time together when we are not jamming. Over time this has really helped strengthen our bond.

Sayem: We love the music we make and want it to be out there for people to listen to. Our work gives us the confidence to move forward in the music profession.

At this point the rendezvous came to an end but not before a photosession. We took some extra shots too because chances are, they could just be the next big thing to happen in the Bangladeshi music scene.

To check out their work visit their Facebook page: fb.com/ATTIC.theband

Or their YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCrkUSOgDwaYn9RMNUfJblTA