Music
New Delhi instrumental rock trio’s latest single comes with an AI-generated music video
New Delhi instrumental/post-rock band Zokova. Photo: Mohit Kapil
After years of performing across the country, New Delhi instrumental rock trio Zokova have released their long-anticipated debut studio single “Tsoma” along with the announcement of their first album.
Often known for their journeying post-rock songs, there’s been little by way of studio releases (other than live performance videos) from Zokova ever since they came together in 2007. Comprising guitarist Ritwik De (from trip-hop act Tankbund and producer), bassist Amar Pandey (bassist for singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad and rock band Nok Nok, among others) and drummer Suyash Gabriel (from rock acts Komodo Jane, Kraken, electronic artist Komorebi and more), Zokova finally live up to their intense live shows with the release of “Tsoma.”
The band says in a statement, “With haunting melodies, grooves that mimic machinery, and evocative soundscapes, ‘Tsoma’ delves into themes of loneliness, solitude, and the complexities of the human condition, examining how modern technology and human activity have created barriers that isolate us.”
The song comes with a music video created with AI tools, by Hasan Siddiqi and Syed Ali. In it, Zokova’s tunneling, cinematic sounds go over themes of how the world is changing with technological advancement. The band says that the visuals are “contrasting the depths of human emotion with the stark, isolating realities of a technology-driven world.”
While more details about Zokova’s upcoming album are yet to be announced, it has brought in Krishna Rao as mixing engineer and Kerala veteran guitarist-producer Rex Vijayan (from rock band Avial) as mastering engineer. If you felt “Tsoma” ends a bit abruptly even as it packs in a good amount of changes in its four-minute runtime, it’s because each track on Zokova’s album will “flow seamlessly” into the next. The band adds, “‘Tsoma’ sits at the album’s midway point, marking an emotional shift; from here, the album intensifies with a raw, chaotic energy, capturing the turmoil of confronting inner and outer worlds.”
Watch the video for “Tsoma” below.